The Difference Between Love And Loathing
by Jasmine Reinier
Summary: AU Saito Hajime is a homicide detective with a bloody past. Makimachi Misao is the next target of a crazed killer. When Saito, to his displeasure, is assigned to be her bodyguard, how long will he be able to protect her from the madman known as The Akuma?
1. Nightmare

"The dead cannot cry out for justice…it is the duty of the living to do so for them." – Lois McMaster Bujold

Jasmine: Okay, this is rated for extreme blood, language, and violence. If you don't like any of those, then leave right now. If you don't like alternate pairings or universes, then leave right now. I will not tolerate anyone flaming me for the pairing, because I warned you. It will only make you look like an idiot. And, besides, I love fire. Giving me some is a horrible mistake. Now, if there's anything about my grammar you don't like, tell me. Seriously, I could use constructive criticism.Here we go…when it gets to the italics, everything (except the letter) that isn't in italics is being thought. At the beginning, the italics are like flashbacks. I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Saitô Hajime…but, then again, since he was a real person, Watsuki doesn't own him either!

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**The Difference Between Love And Loathing - Chapter 1: Nightmare**

_"I despise you, Saitô Hajime…"_

Words of pure and utter loathing...so long ago she had said them to him in a fit of rage.

_"You are incapable of loving…YOU HAVE NO HEART!"_

Tears had been streaming unrestrained from her striking, chocolate-brown eyes, her hands had balled into fists intended to strike at him. Those eyes were narrowed in her anger, cursing him from the very depths of her soul. It was clear at that moment how much she had truly reviled him.

"_I-I hope you **die** out there and finally leave me **alone**!"_

They haunted his sleep, his dreams. Even in his waking hours they continued to stay, to torment. She plagued him, the memories of her…her beauty...her grace…her love…

"…_I hate you, Hajime…just wanted to let you know…that is, if you even care…"_

Her death.

"_GO TO HELL, YOU BASTARD!"_

The nightmares were the worst.

"_DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? I HATE YOU! I HATE YOUR GUTS! YOU ARE THE BANE OF MY EXISTANCE, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"_

But...he deserved them...he hadn't earned the right to have happy, joyful dreams…

Because he hadn't been able to save her…his light...his lover…his life…

His Tokio.

And, in a way…

He had died that day, along with her.

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(Present day)

Saitô Hajime rolled over in his sleep and groaned slightly, clutching a worn red pillow to his chest in the process. His white sheets had long been thrown to the foot of his bed as he twisted and turned in the throes of a nightmare. The same nightmare…of the same person…with the same results…

The man moaned, twitched a little, and threw his head to the side. His eyebrows knitted together as he glared at an enemy only he could see. One arm flailed out and struck the black plastic alarm clock off of his bedside table, the flashing red numbers reading two twenty-seven a.m. before blanking out as they hit the faded blue-carpeted floor.

The same nightmare…every night it was the same…damn...one…

(Nightmare)

_Two people stood at opposite ends of a small living room in a quaint little house at the edge of Tokyo. One was a somewhat short little woman with long, raven-black hair. Her large doe eyes were smoldering with fury at the one across from her. The other, a man, was at least a foot taller than the woman. His ebony hair was slicked back, but four stubborn bangs had managed to flop into his face despite all the effort he put into keeping them in place. The tension in the air was almost palpable and seemed to thicken when the man crossed his arms across his wide chest, waiting for his wife to speak._

_And speak she did. "I despise you, Saitô Hajime..." Tokio glared angrily at the offending man, her temper finally reaching its breaking point. "You are incapable of loving…YOU HAVE NO HEART!"_

_Saitô hid his wince well and returned his wife's glare with one of his own. "Tokio, you know I must do this...you've known that I would have to do things like these since the day we were married!" They had had this argument over and over again, every time he was called out on duty during one of their "moments". But his job always came first and she knew that and had agreed to it during their vows…so why did she have to insist on being so difficult?_

_Tokio shook her head wildly and bared her teeth at him in an infuriated grimace. "I-I hope you __**die** out there and finally leave me **alone**!" Her fists clamped together for a few seconds and then loosened, but her face became cold and emotionless. "…I hate you, Hajime...just wanted to let you know…that is, if you even care…"_

_Her words unnerved the poor man to his very core. "...T-Tokio?" Saitô cursed the slight tremor in his voice, but found that he couldn't stop it. _

_"GO TO HELL, YOU BASTARD!" Enough was enough. Him saying her name disgusted her to no end. "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? I HATE YOU! I HATE YOUR GUTS! YOU ARE THE BANE OF MY EXISTANCE, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Tokio was now breathing hard and more tears streamed from her eyes. She began to shake uncontrollably._

_The wolf stared, shock temporarily hindering him from saying a word to the hysterical woman._

_"…I'm leaving, Hajime…I'm never coming back to you…unless…" Tokio looked Saitô in the eye defiantly, her resolve hardening despite her tears. "…you tell me that you'll quit your job…Hajime…being a homicide detective has taken its toll on you over the years…don't you think…that you've had enough? Aren't I plenty for you, husband? Must you try and prove to yourself every day that you can handle the stress of your job when, in reality…" The woman took a few steps towards the stunned wolf, slowly lifted her arm, and gently touched his cheek. "…you're crumbling even as we speak?"_

_He blinked at her in disbelief, but then seemed to return to himself. His amber eyes nearly glowed with his bottled-up rage. "How could you say that, Tokio? You know what my job means to me, Koishi! It isn't even my 'job' anymore…it is my duty, wife, to protect people against - "_

_There was a resounding slap and the sound of a body staggering into a wall. _

_Tokio stepped backwards a few feet, desperate to keep some distance between herself and her husband. "Of course…your 'duty' means more to you than I do, Hajime. Heh…you ignorant bastard…I never loved you, anyway…WHO COULD LOVE SOMEONE THAT DOESN'T POSSESS A HEART, HUH?" And then…she vanished out the door. Just like that, the love of his life…was gone…_

_Saitô slowly slid down the wall and gripped his smarting cheek with one hand. Was this all somehow **his **fault? Why did it seem that way? Surely…surely she was to blame, too…_

_He would come to remember that guilt very well, as Tokio wouldn't be seen again in over a week._

_And…by then…it was too late…_

_…To save her… _

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(Fast-forward to a week and a half later)

_He stared in horror at the note in his hands, the words wavering unsteadily before his eyes. No. No, no, no, no, no. Dear Kami, no…_

_Not Tokio…anyone but Tokio…_

To my dearest and most loving acquaintance Saitô Hajime,  
Your wife is a very beautiful woman, my friend.  
It's too bad you can't hear her terrified screams. I am sure you would fancy them…take the same perverse pleasure in them as I do.  
Because the detective is not much different than the – murderer – is he? Both constantly surrounded by death…both loving the thrill of the hunt…  
Both wanting to kill…and **kill**…and **_kill_**!  
But I digress.  
It is my job, Hajime, to rid this world of the plague on Earth known as women. And this woman has caused you great pain, hmm? Well, another slice should make everything all better…yes, yes…chop, chop, chop…  
You know…she has such lovely skin…as white as marble!  
That will make flaying her all the more fun, don't you agree?  
And her blood…so crimson and sweet…like red wine…  
It tastes the same, too, I can assure you that.  
Oh, she's calling for you, Hajime…I'd better go and quiet her down!  
If you wish to see her, come to the old building down by the pier at twelve o'clock sharp. If you are accompanied or late, I will kill her. Painfully. And I will make sure the last thing she sees is your defeated form collapsing upon the ground.  
Ah…the angst…t'would make a fabulous story, now wouldn't it? Ha. I daresay…I crack myself up…  
Remember…the murderer is no different than the detective. Bring your gun, for I am sure that you will want to kill me.

P.S.: I left you a little gift. I hope you enjoy it. Ta.

Best regards and fondest wishes,  
-The Han'nya

_Saitô swallowed hard against the lump in his throat and unlatched a plastic baggie that he found on the back of the letter. What could The Han'nya have possibly sent him? He didn't want to see…no…he **dreaded** seeing it. _

_As soon as he got the bag open, he regretted looking immensely._

_For there, covered in blood, was what was undoubtedly one of Tokio's fingers._

_Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was one certain finger in particular…_

_…her ring finger._

_And, still managing to glitter despite the rusty substance that covered it…_

_…was her wedding ring with the twinkling aquamarine jewel._

Tokio…

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(11:56 p.m. At the pier)

_Saitô cursed under his breath and pushed the gas pedal down as far as it would go, silently urging his poor little Toyota to its limits. He had to make it in time…had to…_

_He wouldn't let Tokio die. No…it was his fault in the first place that she left that day. Her getting captured by this – raving lunatic – was his fault…all his fault…_

_If only he had seen it earlier…if only he had told her that he would quit his job…_

_Just to see her dazzling smile again._

_Saitô Tokio was his anchor. Every person that worked homicide, including himself, had to have an individual to love and keep him or her sane. All the death, sadness, blood, gore…seeing all that was enough to drive someone off the edge._

_Tokio had kept him from falling. She had brought him out of his darkness, had given him light and happiness. She banished his demons and kept him anchored to life. The woman had saved him from himself._

_But now, he had to save her from someone else. And he'd be damned if he'd let her down…_

_He slammed his footon the brake pedal, not even noticing the squeal of objection the tires made as the whole truck skidded to a halt. The door was thrown open, and the detective nearly tumbled from the vehicle in his haste. He had to make it…had to…**had** to…_

_Saitô flew down the pier, towards the oldest-looking building he could find. She was in there…waiting for him…yes…he would be with her again…_

_He could see the sructure towering over the water, its silhouette dark and forbidding even in the faded light. Its dull, gray paint was worn and chipping off in places. The many rotted holes dotting its surface were a constant reminder to all that it was abandoned…deserted…_

_Forgotten. _

_Saitô pushed himself harder, even as the muscles in his legs protested angrily. In the distance, he could hear the church bell start to chime out twelve tolls. One…two…three…_

_He was almost there! So close…_

_Four…five…six…_

_Just a few more feet…_

_Seven…_

_The wolf furiously kicked down the moldy door, wincing only slightly as it flew off of its hinges. "TOKIO!"_

_Eight…_

_There she was, lying on the dirty broken floor of the ancient building. The Han'nya stood over her, his hand wrapped around the bottom of her chin. A knife was poised at her exposed alabaster throat. _

_Nine…_

_The murderer grinned madly at the detective, transforming his destroyed face into a misshapen contortion. "Oh…so sorry, Hajime…it seems that you are too late. But please, join the party! You are invited to witness the show!" Maniacal laughter followed, slicing into the air like a hot knife through butter. This man was crazy! Absolutely…clinically insane._

_Tokio weakly lifted her head up, struggling feebly against her attacker. "…H-Hajime…h-help…please…" Her eyes were unseeing, but she knew her husband was there. Her love…he was there!_

_Ten…_

_Time seemed to slow down for Saitô at that moment, as an icy hand gripped his heart. "LET HER GO, YOU BASTARD! I MADE IT ON TIME!" He fingered the gun in his pocket, fearing that any sudden movement would send the nutcase off the edge. All the wolf wanted to do was kill the man…destroy that which would dare touch his Tokio…_

_More laughter. Damn, this was getting old. "Fool…my poor fool…never trust the word of a criminal, Hajime! Hee hee hee…shall I make her bleed some more, my fool? Rich, red blood…so tasty…so…**divine**…" The Han'nya's hand traveled upwards and buried itself in what was left of Tokio's beautiful raven hair. "…or maybe I should give her a nice scalping? I could make her hair into a wig…"_

_Eleven…_

_The detective's temper flared. In one swift motion, he brought his gun out and directed it at the raving lunatic perched oh-so-happily over his wife. "Freeze! Hands in the air, NOW!"_

_The man chuckled in twisted amusement. "Say bye-bye to your husband, lady Tokio…" In a single, quick action, The Han'nya jerked upwards on her hair and brought the knife back down, touching it almost lovingly to her throat. "She'll be waiting for you in Hell, Hajime!"_

_With narrowed eyes, Saitô lowered the gun and charged forward, intent on killing the man before he…_

_Twelve._

_The blade sliced upwards through Tokio's tender flesh, sending little droplets of crimson blood into the air. The detective could hear her gurgling cry of pain, the resonance of her final breath, and…her head hitting the floor with a final-sounding thump._

_And then his world came crashing down._

_Saitô's knees gave out, and he ended up slamming them uncaringly into the floor. He barely noticed the ache as his amber eyes came to rest on his wife's lifeless body. This couldn't be real...his wife wasn't dead, wasn't bleeding from a nasty wound in her throat, wasn't gone from this world..._

_The Han'nya slowly licked the blood from his knife and stood up, letting Tokio's body fall back to the floor in a sad-looking heap. "My poor, poor fool…do not look so heartbroken! You wanted this, didn't you? She was only causing you pain…and now she will not be able to hurt you anymore!" The man grinned again. "So rejoice while you still can, because you're next! Hee hee hee!"_

_She…she was…gone… He'd failed…failed to protect her…_

_"Get up, Hajime."_

_It was his fault…all his fault…_

_"Get up."_

_He was to blame…all his fault…he failed…all his fault…_

_"GET UP!"_

_The silver flash of a blade and a flare of pain startled Saitô out of his dark thoughts. He looked down, noticing with detachment that his white T- shirt was now stained with a blossom of blood. His **own** blood. Then realization hit him._

_The bastard killed Tokio...she was_ truely _gone. This wasn't a dream...nor was it a nightmare._

_The detective grasped at his abdomen and shakily pushed himself to his feet, forgetting everything in his own moment of insanity. _He'll pay… I'll kill him…he'll pay for taking her…

_"Finally, Hajime, I was afraid that I had lost you for a second there!" The Han'nya seemed to think that this was amusing, for he once again burst into laughter. It echoed through the building, taunting the wolf even more. _

_Saitô lifted his head and fixed the lunatic with glazed amber eyes. "…You killed her…you killed my Tokio…you took her away, snuffed out her light…" He slowly lifted his pistol and pointed it at The Han'nya, almost as if he were in a trance. "…you destroyed her beauty, her grace…and now…"His eyes dulled even more while his voiceturned monotone and blank. "…I'm going to kill you."_

_He pulled the trigger of the gun again and again, watching with disturbing satisfaction as each bullet ripped a hole into the man he despised with every fiber of his being. Scarlet blood poured from the wounds, covering the ground with its so-called "beauty". _Yes…yes…die, die, die…

_When the pistol ran out of bullets, he pulled an extra cartridge out of the pocket of his jeans and re-loaded. The detective was determined to fill the damned man with as much lead as he could and he didn't care if The Han'nya was dead already, or not. It wasn't until after the second cartridge was empty that he shakily let the pistol fall to his side. The deed was done. He had killed the man._

_But The Han'nya wasn't dead yet. No, he still pathetically clung to life, only to give Saitô some last bit of information. "…A-as you s-see, Hajime…th-the detective…i-is…no d-different…than…the m-murderer…" And then, just like that...he was gone._

_Saitô stared down at the crumpled body on the floor - what remained of The Han'nya. The gun slid from his grasp and tumbled to the concrete. The wolf didn't care. He determinedly turned his back upon the dead man and walked over to Tokio – her corpse, anyway – and kneeled down next to her. Gently gathered her in his arms and begun to rock back and forth. Didn't notice the tears that were cascading from his amber, wolfish eyes. His heart ached, bled, and wept for her…he needed her…wanted her back…_

_She was his anchor, his light…the banisher of his demons…_

_Without Saitô Tokio, there was no Saitô Hajime._

_He held her closer to him to stifle his sob of agony, willing with all of his might for the pain in his chest to go away. If…as she said…he had no heart…_

_Then why did it hurt so much?_

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(Present time, 2:45 a.m.)

Saitô Hajime let out a yelp and sat up abruptly in the bed, his breathing fast and labored. _Dammit…not again…_

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Jasmine: And there you have it, folks, the first chappie of my new fic. I must say, this is a strange chapter…just a little prologue-ish thing, if you will.Oh, and if this chapter confused you, everything will be explained in full detail later on. I will describe The Han'nya, and everything that led up to Tokio's capture. Saitô/Misao is honestly my favorite pairing of all time, and I hope I can get you guys as hooked on it as I am. Oh, and Saitô's thirty and Misao is twenty-five. Well, 'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"

**Japanese Words:  
**Itachi: Weasel  
Musume: Girl or woman  
Hajime: Begin  
Koishi: Darling  
Han'nya: Female demon (Yes, the same Han'nya from RK)


	2. Partner

"Love your enemies…it confuses them!" – Unknown

Jasmine: (Grins) YAY! I'm a happy little fanfiction authoress! I was hoping to get three reviews, max, and I got NINE! Thank you all, so MUCH! If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, do you actually think Himura Kenshin would be the main character? Nah-uh! Well, here we go! Next chapter! Forward, march!

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**The Difference Between Love And Loathing – Chapter 2: Partner**

(With Saito at his house, March 17, 2005…3:01 a.m.)

Saito glared at the image staring back at him in his cracked bathroom mirror, noticing with a bit of disdain that he looked…old. Older than he **should** look, anyway. The deep dark circles under his eyes contrasted horribly against his abnormally pale skin and he appeared to be slightly gaunter than usual, his cheekbones standing out more prominently. All the stress was starting to show. Well, had actually **been** showing for a while, but he hadn't really noticed it until now, under the harsh glare of his florescent bathroom lights. _Hn…it seems I've been living in the dark for too long…_

At least his hair wasn't going gray. That was a plus. Of course, he was only thirty (so his hair wouldn't really be going gray, anyway), but one never knew. Stress **does **bring about gray hair, correct? That was the last thing he wanted._ Then I'd really be old, ne? Heh... _Maybe he needed a vacation? Yeah, that would be good. He could go off to some nice, warm place and just do nothing for a few weeks.

The wolf ran his fingers through his hair in a futile attempt at re-slicking it back and growled a bit when his bangs merely flopped forward again, silently taunting him. No, he couldn't go on a vacation. Not with the string of recent murders he had to look into. Those deaths were probably the reasons why his nightmares had started to get more vivid recently. In fact, it almost seemed as though the killer was a - copycat - murderer…

And then the guilt came flooding back, as it always did whenever he thought of Tokio. Tokio, his lady: the one thing he had been unsuccessful at protecting.

"Hn, stop thinking about that, ahou." The wolf turned away from his reflection and crossed his arms, angrily refusing to let himself travel down that endless path of shame again. It was his accursed _nightmares_ that kept reminding him of his biggest failure. Why wouldn't they leave him alone?

_Because you deserve them._

Great. Just great. Baka guilt. Baka nightmares. Baka failure.

_All your fault…_

How many times was it now that he told himself that? Over and over and over until the words lost all meaning, all denotation…

_You're a failure, just admit it._

Saito rolled his eyes in annoyance and turned back to the mirror. _You can say that again…_ He sighed and studied his appearance once more. _I should probably change out of this shirt. _His poor black muscle-shirt was practically soaked through with sweat. Yuck. The wolf reached down into the hamper and pulled out a slightly wrinkled, light-blue T-shirt._ I suppose this'll have to do._ He quickly stripped off his sweat-drenched muscle-shirt, chucked it in a remote corner of the bathroom, and pulled the T-shirt over his head.

He straightened the T-shirt and reached up for the medicine cabinet. After rummaging around in it for a few seconds, he found what he was looking for and pulled it out. Clutched in his fist was a bottle of sleeping pills. The wolf uncapped the top and downed two of them, then turned on the faucet of the sink, cupped his hands under the water, and swallowed that as well. He still had a few more hours to himself until he had to leave for work, and getting more sleep would definitely be a good idea.

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(With Misao at her house, March 17, 2005…10:23 a.m.)

"So I s'pose I'll see you later, huh?" Makimachi Misao grinned happily up at her icy-eyed boyfriend, giving him her best puppy-dog eyes in the process.

But Shinomori Aoshi was unmoved. "…Aa…" His usual, emotionless response.

Misao's grin widened despite his seeming lack of interest. "I'll take that as a yes! Biya, Aoshi-sama! See ya' tomorrow!" The energetic woman waved vigorously back at the man before disappearing through her front door and into her house beyond it. Oh, how dreamy he was! And he had even walked her to her door! Misao skipped gleefully around in circles for a minute, content to just be happy the rest of the day. There wasn't possibly anything that could happen to bring her down!

"Oh! I almost forgot!" The ninja catapulted herself back out the door and attacked her mailbox with delight. "Mail! YAY! Hmm, bill, bill, junk, bill, junk, junk, what the hell is this?" Misao set her pile of mail down on the ground and blinked at the little piece of folded paper she held in her hand. A secret love-letter, perhaps? A pirate's treasure map? Well, only one way to find out! She opened it…

_You're next.  
__-The Akuma_

"…Wha'?"

The paper was stained with dried, rusty-colored blood.

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(With Saito at the Police Station, March 17, 2005…1:38 p.m.)

"Kondo-san, sir, you wanted to see me?"

The police chief looked up from his pile of papers to grin widely at the wolf in the doorway. "Ah yes, Hajime, take a seat." He gestured to a small, red-cushioned chair sitting in front of his mahogany desk. Saito hesitantly complied, amber orbs immediately narrowing upon his superior. He didn't trust the mischievous glint in Kondo's eyes. He'd seen that same look before, when -

"I've found you a new partner, my boy!"

Groan. Not **again!**

"Kondo sir, I've told you many times before, I don't need a _partner._" The word came out sounding like he had just swallowed poison.

"Nonsense, Hajime! Just because the last one you had is in a mental institution and the one before that hasn't been seen in over five months doesn't mean you don't need one!" Hearty chuckles followed that statement. Saito bit back a growl.

"Sir--"

Kondo abruptly cut him off. "Oh, don't you 'sir' me, Hajime. Come on; try it out one more time! _This_ time, I think I've found the perfect partner for you!"

And that was exactly what he had said last time. And the time before that.

But when Kondo wanted you to do something, you did it. No exceptions.

Saito sighed inaudibly, knowing that he had lost. That didn't mean that he had to like it, though. "Hn. Yes sir."

The police chief grinned, knowing that he had won and was fully enjoying it. He tipped his chair back and called out in a far-too cheery voice, "Chou, you can come in now!"

The doorknob turned and the door slowly squeaked open. A blonde head peeked out nervously from behind it. "Err…"

"Don't be shy, my boy! Come on in!"

The wolf was already starting to get annoyed. This partnership was going to be just _dandy_. The ahou probably didn't even know how to use a gun!

Chou stepped away from the door and regarded Saito with quite a bit of apprehension. He wiped his hand on his jeans and held it out for the wolf to shake. "Eh, hey, th' name's Sawagejou Chou. Nice ta' meetcha!" The grin that followed was a bit forced. Well, more than a bit.

Saito ignored the hand and instead studied Chou up and down. The boy's (for he could only really be described as a "boy" as he didn't look a day older than twenty) long blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. His left eye (for some reason) was closed, but his right eye was bottle-green and open and alert despite his nervousness. Faded jeans, a white T-shirt, and old shoes completed his attire. The wolf wasn't terribly impressed and didn't see any difference in the boy from his other (worthless) partners. "…Saito Hajime." He graced Chou with a simple nod.

Kondo was smiling from ear-to-ear. "See! You've already introduced yourselves!" Apparently, he figured that that was a good start to their partnership.

The Osakan laughed nervously and sweat dropped at the chief's enthusiasm. "Eh, yup, eh-heh heh…" Sheesh, this Saito Hajime looked like a _really _fun guy! It was just his luck to get a partner without a sense of humor!

The wolf was just getting up to leave (for he had had about enough of this stupidity), until Kondo stopped him with a hand on his arm. "One more thing, Hajime. I'm taking you off The Akuma case."

Time stood still for a few seconds while a black aura seemed to envelop Saito like an evil cloud. Chou stepped away from him for fear of bodily harm.

"…_What_?"

The cloud of evil grew bigger. Saito now resembled an enraged Hijikata after a certain first captain stole his haiku book.

Kondo didn't seem to notice the coalescing darkness in the center of the room for he merely continued on as if nothing had happened. "We know who The Akuma is going to target next and she needs protecting. And you, as my most trusted detective, are going to become her bodyguard!" He beamed cheerfully at the dark cloud that was Saito. "Won't that be _fun_?"

If Sawagejou Chou was ever more terrified in his life, he couldn't remember a time at the moment. He pressed himself backwards into the nearest wall in a useless attempt to escape the murderous-looking, evil cloud-covered wolf. This guy was scary. No wonder he was so good at his job. All he had to do was glare at the murderer and the criminal would give himself up on the spot.

Fortunately for all in the room, Saito managed to regain his normal composure. He took a few deep, calming breaths. His happy-sounding tone came out quite strained, though. "…Must I baby-sit some _child_, sir? Can't you ask Okita or Harada to do it in my stead?" Okay, so maybe he was pleading, but this definitely wasn't a job he wanted. Okita was much more suited to babysitting than he was.

"Nope! Sorry, my boy, but I want _you_ to do it! And besides, this'll be good for you! You need a little break from all these recent murder cases!" That infuriating grin was back on the police chief's face. Saito's heart sank.

But what Kondo wanted, Kondo got.

"...Yes sir…"

"Good! Now, would you be so kind as to show Chou around the station? I'm sure he would appreciate his new partner giving him a tour!"

The wolf turned towards the Osakan with hidden fire in his eyes.

Chou sweat dropped."Eh-heh heh heh?"

"Go on, you two! Get! Oh, and Hajime? Come back here a little later. I want you to meet the girl! She's quite nice if I do say so myself…" Kondo couldn't help but wiggle his eyebrows suggestively at the wolf, who merely snorted in derision.

Saito grabbed Chou's wrist and dragged him bodily out the door, only stopping long enough to throw the police chief one last lethal look before he left. The door slammed shut with a bang.

Kondo laughed joyfully. "Ah, they don't call you the 'ippiki ookami' for nothing, my boy."

And he returned to his paperwork, not even aware of the events he had unknowingly set into motion.

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(With Saito and Chou, out in the hallway)

Once Saito had dragged Chou a sufficient distance away from Kondo's office, he let the boy go and gave him his legendary, "here are the rules, so follow them or die", glare. "Okay Ahou, three things," the wolf held up three fingers and ignored the blank stare he was getting from the Osakan. "One," one finger went down. "You refer to me as 'Boss' and not 'Partner', or any other stupid nicknames you come up with."

"But--"

"Two," another finger went down. "Make sure you know how to fire a gun because I'm sure as hell not going to teach you. Don't even think about getting any thoughts about us being a team. I work by myself, end of story. Tag along if you wish but I will not help you if you mess up or get yourself into trouble."

"But--"

Saito interrupted him again. "And three," all the fingers were down. "Get your hair cut, boy, you look like an idiot."

The Osakan gave the wolf a look of stunned outrage. "C-cut mah hair?"

"Yes. If you can follow these three things, we might be able to make this stupid partnership work. Now, go ahead and do whatever it is you do here, Ahou. I'll be in my office." _Smoking away this annoying day, _he thought dismally. How could his life possibly get any worse?

And it would, believe me. It would.

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Jasmine: (Sweat drops) I really wasn't planning on updating this so soon, but you guys insisted. It's not as long as my other chapter, but that's 'cause it was a prologue! Oh, and if you're wondering why I'm referring to Misao as "ninja" even though this is an AU, it's because she takes ninjitsu! (Even though I don't really know any ninjitsu moves…) Oh, and Saito's going to be doing Tae-Kwon-Do, because I take Tae-Kwon-Do, and I actually know the moves! (Sweat drop) Remember…reviews make me update faster! Well, until next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them."

**Japanese Words: **

Baka: Stupid/Idiot  
Akuma: Demon  
Ippiki Ookami: Lone Wolf  
Ahou: Moron/Idiot  
Osaka/Osakan: Osaka is the part of Japan where Chou is from. Its dialect is Kansai, and it is characterized in the anime as a southern accent.


	3. Meeting

"An injury is more sooner forgotten than an insult." –Lord Chesterfield

Jasmine: What am I doing? I have to update What A Flamin' Spirit! (Screams)  
Saito: …Yes. Go update that. Mess with the Ahou, and leave me alone.  
Jasmine: Nah-uh! My reviewers seem to enjoy your pain, so I guess I'll just plug on with this! HUGE thanks to Lexi, who helped me BUNCHES in this chapter. I don't own Rurouni Kenshin and look for your paragraph, Lexi-chan!

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**The Difference Between Love And Loathing – Chapter Three: Meeting**

(With Saito and Kondo in a police car, March 17, 2005…5:34 p.m.)

Saito Hajime was not a happy camper. No, at the moment, he was the unhappiest camper on the face of the planet. And he wasn't even camping, either. Figures. Going camping would have been better than _this_.

"Come on, my boy, buck up! There's no need to look so grumpy!"

The wolf looked up from his…pouting…(he preferred to call it "brooding", though, as Saito Hajime most certainly does not "pout") and gave Kondo the best evil eye he could muster. Which is pretty scary; you definitely don't want to be on the receiving end of the detective's look of "death, doom, and destruction".

Kondo, unsurprisingly, merely beamed at the annoyed wolf. "I can assure you, this girl is very nice! I'm positive you'll like her, Hajime!" Great. More eyebrow wiggling. If Saito didn't know better, he'd think that his boss was trying to set him up on a date.

Yes! Maybe all this was just a joke! A huge, stupid, elaborate joke where everyone would yell out "Surprise!" at the end and jump out of hiding blowing loud party favors and waving banners!

…Feh. As if.

The wolf crossed his arms over his chest and sighed deeply, looking out the window of the police car in exasperation. Why had he agreed to allow Kondo to drive? The man insisted on crawling along at a snail's pace!Tapping his foot angrily, he asked, "Where does she live, anyway?"

Kondo's grin widened. "Anxious to meet her, Hajime?

The said detective bristled and narrowed his eyes. "…Of course I'm not."

"I'll bet you _are_."

The conversation was going to places Saito definitely didn't want to go. So, just to get the police chief off of his back… "Yes, sir, I am. I'm _very_ excited." Okay, so maybe he was laying on the sarcasm a bit thick, but hell, why would he be impatient to meet the girl he'd be babysitting for the next "few months", as Kondo liked to vaguely put the time?

"I _knew_ you were! You can't hide your feelings from me, my boy!" The police chief chuckled heartily. "Ah, here we are! That's her house, right over there!" He turned the steering wheel sharply to the right and drove up a long, twisting driveway. Saito blinked when the place came into view. The girl's house was huge, nearly three-times as big as his own!

"Is she rich or something, sir?" The wolf tried his hardest to sound uninterested, but he was positive that Kondo would…

The police chief laughed. "Oh? You want to find more about her, do you? Starting to get curious, are you? Hee hee. Well, she's got long black hair, beautiful blue-green eyes--"

"Sir, I don't need a _detailed description_ of her. I merely wanted to know if she--…you know what? Never mind." Saito mentally groaned at the smirk Kondo was sporting and buried his face in his hands. _Why does he always have to be like this?_ _…Damn this day…damn it to HELL!_

_You deserve it, you failure…you murdering failure._

_Ugh, not you. Go away. I don't need a guilt trip at the moment…_

Meanwhile, Kondo had stopped the car, got out, and was about halfway to the house before he realized a certain wolf wasn't behind him. He blinked and looked back at the vehicle. "…Hajime?"

_Murderer, murderer…_

_No I'm not. shut up._

"Hajime?"

_You could have saved her; if you had tried harder, she'd still be here today/ Maybe you wanted her to die? Yes, you wanted to see her bleed, didn't you? You wanted to see her suffer, to scream…_

_NO! I _never_ wanted that!_

"Hajime!"

…_to die…_

_STOP!_

"HAJIME!"

Saito blinked, shook himself, and managed to come out of his daze. _Shit, not this again. Am I going insane?_ "…Hn?"

The police chief's eyebrows knitted together as he studied the detective through the car window. "Are you okay, Hajime? Is everything fine? You do look a bit pale, my boy. Have you been getting enough sleep lately?"

"Hn. Yes, sir, I'm okay. I just zoned out slightly, there." Saito forced a laugh at Kondo's concern. The man was always worried about him. 'Have you been eating well?' 'Oh, that cough sounds bad, I think you should sit down for awhile, my boy.' 'You sure you're okay, Hajime? You really shouldn't work so hard…' Kondo was like the father he never had.

The said man sighed, a sound he didn't usually make. The frown on his face was even more abnormal. "Okay, Hajime, whatever you say…" He opened the car door for the wolf, stepped away, and started back up to the house. "Come on! Let's go introduce you to the girl!" Kondo's frown was quickly replaced by his ever-present grin. "You said you wanted to meet her, anyway!"

Saito rolled his eyes and got out of the vehicle, but took a moment to study the house. It was big, that was true, but it was also…what was the word? Beautiful. The whole thing was whitewashed, except for the shutters, which were painted a deep, midnight-black. A garden decorated the front lawn, adding much-needed color to the area. Violets, Lilies, Snapdragons, all shades of the rainbow were present. The place was perfect, almost…_too_ perfect, it seemed. Maybe he was just being paranoid.

Then again, maybe he wasn't.

…Baka morbid thoughts.

"Hajime, you can ogle her house later!" The police chief was already at the front door and was waiting anxiously for the detective. "Hurry up, my boy!" He raised a hand and pushed the doorbell. Saito soon joined him, skillfully hiding his annoyance at his superior.

A minute passed.

The wolf tapped his foot impatiently and growled under his breath. He never _was_ very good at waiting. The girl was probably fixing her hair, or applying makeup, or something. Hn.

"J-just a minute! Come on in! I-I'll be out in a second," came a feminine-sounding voice from inside the house. It seemed as though it were strained, for some unknown reason.

Saito blinked at Kondo and gave him another "look of doom". The chief just grinned, turned the knob, and opened the door. "Well, you heard the lady, my boy! Let's go in!"

When they entered the house, the wolf was nearly blown away by the sheer size of it. Three hallways branched off in different directions, and a staircase nearby seemed to lead up into a second floor. The whole inside was clean and modern. High ceilings and white walls only added to the sense of space, but it could hardly be called bare. Tasteful and colorful accents were strategically placed here and there in the entryway, a painting here, a throw pillow there...it was obvious that this girl had a sense of style.

…Not that Saito would know much about furnishings, but back to the fic.

Surely the building was too big for just one girl to live in by herself! What was she thinking? _And certainly she doesn't keep this place clean on her own!_ Even as the wolf thought this, he noticed that there seemed to be no servants around. No hustle and bustle. Nobody even came up to greet them at the door. _Interesting._

A noise that closely resembled an explosion erupted through the house, causing both the police chief and the detective to jump violently.

"D-don't mind that! I-I've got everything under c-complete control, Kondo-san!"

The wolf fingered his pistol in irritation and looked at the police chief with one eyebrow raised. Kondo sweat dropped slightly. "Er, well, are you _sure_ about that, Misao-san?"

Another boom sounded.

"U-um…almost p-positive!"

Saito, having had enough of this idiocy, decided to speak up. "'Almost'? Well, girl, it sounds like something (or some_one_) is dying in there. Are you certain you're _absolutely_ fine? Not trying to blow yourself to smithereens, are you?"A smirk came unbidden to his lips.

"HEY! Who the hell are _you_? YOU JERK! I'LL COME IN THERE, AND-…oh boy…"

BOOM.

Kondo's sweat drop grew bigger. "Er, M-Misao-san?"

Footsteps were rapidly approaching from down one of the other hallways. A door opened, and a feminine head peeked out. "Eh-heh, does anybody..." The girl stepped into the foyer and Saito noticed that she was covered from head to toe in- "…know how to clean soba noodles off of a cathedral ceiling? Eh-heh heh?"

The wolf turned to his superior and gave him a wide (Fujita Goro) grin. "Kondo, sir?"

"Umm…y-yes, my boy?"

"No. Freaking. Way."

But before Saito could beat a hasty retreat, the police chief managed to grab hold of one of his bangs, successfully stopping the poor detective in his tracks. Kondo gave it a light tug. "Oh, no you don't, Hajime. You're protecting this girl and that's final!" Tug, tug.

The wolf glared down at his boss angrily. Grabbing his bang, what a low thing to do! Grr, he had been so close to the door, too! Once again, Saito Hajime was beaten by the almighty police chief, Kondo Isami! "…Yes sir…" Defeat sucks.

Kondo beamed and let the said prized piece of hair go. "Okay, you two! It's about time you introduce yourselves to one another!" One arm waved at Misao. "Hajime, meet Makimachi Misao," he gestured with his other arm at Saito. "Misao, meet Saito Hajime. You two will have to be together at all times until we catch The Akuma so you'd better make your first impressions good ones!" The chief's warm laughter did nothing to lessen the tension in the air that had been steadily growing between the two younger people as they "discretely" eyed each other.

Misao ran her fingers through her hair in a futile attempt at getting the soba noodles out of it. She took a few sneak-peeks at her new bodyguard in the process. _Hmm, he's tall…taller than Aoshi-sama! And, from the looks of him, muscular, too! I wonder if he takes any martial arts?_

The wolf (of course) noticed the looks she was giving him, and didn't bother to hide his own scrutiny of her. _Small, weak looking, and young._ Just great. She was everything he had hoped she wouldn't be. _Hn. Probably annoying, too. Just like…_

The ninja continued to study Saito, so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even become aware of his eyes upon her. _Wow…I get stuck with a hot bodyguard…lucky me…I just hope Aoshi-sama doesn't get jealous…hee hee…_ Misao looked higher up and focused on his face. _Black, slicked-back hair with four bangs hanging in his eyes. High cheekbones, pale skin…this guy looks like a cross between a bad-boy and some kind of predator! Whoo…creepy, yet somehow attractive…uh-oh…bad thoughts, Misao! Remember your Aoshi-sama!_

…_a weasel…and she sorta resembles one…_ And thus the famous nickname (much to Misao's displeasure), was born…

And then they locked eyes with each other.

Misao's own widened in surprise. _His eyes…like… molten gold…so intense…_ Holy freakin' crap! What kind of person had _amber eyes_? Sheesh…maybe he was more of a predator then she first thought…hell, the man looked like a wolf, human-ified!

The detective was the first to break free from their unofficial staring contest. This Makimachi Misao was too…innocent…for his liking. It was obvious that she'd never seen a dead body before in her life. It showed…in her wide, childish blue-green eyes…

Shit. This bodyguard thing was _not_ going to be enjoyable _at all_. Well, at least he could have a bit of fun with the girl…she appeared to be quick to anger…

"So, tell me, itachi musume…"

Misao blinked herself from her thoughts at the sound of his deep voice. _Hey…did he just call me what I think he called me…?_ "Eh?"

"…Why are you living in this huge house all alone? A little weasel such as yourself really should be in a smaller place."

The ninja's right eye began to twitch. "Did you…just call me…A WEASEL?"

Kondo sweat dropped and stepped back a few feet. _I'd better not get in the way of this one…_

And therefore, that is how the fateful meeting between one Saito Hajime and one Makimachi Misao took place. I know the outlook seems bleak, now, but it'll get better! Just ignore the sounds of the rabid itachi in the background, and everything should be fine…

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Jasmine: Short chappie, I know, but it's 3:15 a.m. at the moment, and I want to go to bed. Please leave a review…they make me happy and help me update faster! Seriously…it's depressing…I have a ton of hits, but not many reviews! I'd like to know that this fic is actually worthy of your time…even if you just say one word, or something! Constructive criticism is welcome with open arms, and you can even flame me, if you justify it.  
Saito: …Yes, flame her. Flames are nice.  
Jasmine: (Anger mark) I hope Saito was in character, this time! I really tried! Well, 'till _next time_, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"

**Japanese Words:**

Akuma: Demon  
Itachi: Weasel  
Musume: Girl  
Baka: Stupid/Idiot


	4. Clash

"We perceive when love begins and when it declines by our embarrassment when alone together." - La Bruyere

Jasmine: (Sweat drop) Okay, guys, I know I'm late…but I've been on vacation for the past week, and I forgot to tell you I was leaving last chappie…**I'M SO SORRY!**(Sigh) Don't own it, never will… I hope that meager little apology is enough...(Giant sweat drop) Well, next chappie, here we go! …Fixed bayonets! CHARGE!

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**The Difference Between Love And Loathing - Chapter Four: Clash**

(With Saito, Misao, and Kondo in the ninja's living room, March 17, 2005…6:27 p.m.)

When Misao's anger finally cooled down (it took some stern words to the detective from Kondo before she would even stop screaming), it was decided (not by the wolf _or_ the weasel, so you can guess who's idea it _really_ was) that Saito should have a tour of the house before he moved in. Neither was very keen on the suggestion (nor was it their own), but the police chief insisted…which meant that they had to do it.

"Well, I'll just take my leave for now, my boy. Have fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

…And Kondo got to escape out the front door and into the car, leaving a certain wolf without a way to get back to his house. Which also meant that he'd be stuck with Misao until the police chief decided to return and pick him up. Joy.

The sarcasm is running thick like a river of gooey molasses.

Oh boy. The ninja still looks murderous. We'd better avoid the kitchen, and any sharp objects on this little tour…who knows what may happen with a wolf and a weasel alone in a house together?

Get your mind out of the gutter, please.

Thank you.

Saito nonchalantly shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and looked about the room, pointedly ignoring the fuming little woman covered in noodles next to him. How had she managed to screw up cooking soba? Nonetheless make it _explode_? Either she was a bad cook, or just a really unlucky one…

All the same, he'd have to make…_peace_…with her. That didn't mean that he had to stop calling her itachi musume, though. Teasing the little weasel was quite entertaining…the faces she made at him were the best he'd ever seen. The way her blue-green eyes would smolder as she glared at him, her small hands balling into fists… Misao had looked like she wanted to pound the crap out of him, despite the fact that he was supposed to be her bodyguard.

As you should be able to tell, Saito is having a fairly good time messing with the itachi. Let us see how the said girl is fairing…

_Jerk…jerk…jerk…jerk…big jerk…stupid jerk…grr…I'll kill 'im, the jerk…_

Oh boy…

Why the hell did the guy have to be so…_rude_? Gah! Sure, he was hot and all, but…_weasel_…she didn't look like a weasel, did she? Surely not…

_Baka man. Baka stupid man. Baka, stupid, extremely hot, drop-dead gorgeous man. …Wait…_

Misao sighed angrily and raked her hand back through her hair again, ignoring the little squishy noises of the noodles as she did so. Ugh…she might as well make…_peace_…with him…maybe if she did, he'd stop teasing her! And if that didn't work, she could always beat the living daylights out of him…how _fun_ that would be…bwah-hah hah hah.

"So, itachi, are you going to show me around this place, or what? I don't have all day, you know."

The ninja twitched at the sound of Saito's voice and turned her head up to glare at him. _Grr…does he _have_ to be so freakin' _tall? "…Yeah, _okay_, I'll give you the damned tour. But it's _only_ 'cause Kondo-san asked me to. It's not like I would care if you got lost in here." She informed him with forced politeness, giving the wolf a sweet little smile in the process.

Saito saw the hidden rage in that smile, and was unable to stop a smirk of his own from forming. "Lead the way, weasel," he commanded amiably, thoroughly enjoying the reddish color her face went a few seconds later. "And be quick about it."

"HEY! STOP ORDERING ME AROUND, YOU…YOU…YOU…" _Think, Misao, think!_

An eyebrow went up, and Saito's smirk widened. "Hmm?"

Misao sputtered for a few seconds, mentally willing herself to come up with a good retort. _Crap! Insult…insult…insult…_ "…MAN, YOU!"

The eyebrow went higher. "'Man'"? Is that an insult?"

"YEAH! YOU THINK YOU'RE _SO_ SMART, BUT, IN REALITY, YOU'RE JUST A _MAN_! HA! SO THERE!" The ninja crossed her arms in front of her chest, planted her feet apart, and glowered. Her whole posture positively screamed, "you-say-something-you-bastard-and-you-die!" at him.

It wasn't until a few seconds later that the weasel heard the low, amused snickers emanating from the wolf.

"And _what_, exactly, is so _funny_, you…you MAN?"

Misao jerked slightly as Saito doubled over, now full-blown laughing at her.

_What the hell is with this baka guy? One minute he's being a huge ass, and the next, he's laughing! Grr…I'll kill 'im, I swear I will…the butcher knife in the kitchen should do nicely…_ "HEY! SHUT UP, YOU JERK!"

The wolf looked up at the ninja, standing there with her hands on her hips, glaring at him while covered in soba, and did the exact opposite. He laughed harder.

But the itachi had had enough. Her temper was now at the breaking point. "GAH! YOU'RE SO MEAN, YOU BIG…MEANIE!" She marched up to him, fists raised. "I'M GONNA KILL YOOOOOOU!" Misao grabbed at one of the detective's ebony bangs, pulled on it until he stood upright, and socked him as hard as she could in the stomach.

There was a few seconds of silence while a strange wind carrying a lone leaf blew across the pair.

Saito blinked down at the fuming ninja, watching with amusement as her face flared beet-red. Now, to add fuel to the fire… "Was that supposed to hurt, itachi musume?" How long had it been since he'd laughed like that? _Too _long, it seemed. And this…girl…had been able to cause it? Ah well…best to not dwell on trivial things…

"Er…umm…n-no! Of _course_ it w-wasn't!" Misao told him, trying her best to stifle her rapidly crimsoning face. "I-it was just a warning, s-so ha!" She stuck her tongue out at the detective, not caring that she was acting like a juvenile young kid.

Another smirk graced the wolf's lips. The weasel was _so_ easy to read. "A warning, hmm?" He reached down, and, in the blink of an eye, took hold of one of the girl's wrists. "Then what do you call this?"

A split-second later, Misao found herself in quite a predicament: her right arm was twisted and locked painfully behind her back, caught in an unbreakable hold by Saito! She hadn't even seen him _move_! How had he gone so fast? Interesting…clearly, he _did_ take martial arts…maybe she could ask him if he would spar with her, later…but, for the moment… "H-hey! When did you-?"

"Just now. And, if you do not let go of my bang, I will be forced to break this wrist of yours." The detective twisted it gently in his grip, silently telling her that he wasn't joking around. …Though, he'd never actually _do it_…but _she_ didn't need to know that…

The weasel's eyes narrowed, and her stubbornness overcame her sense of physical well-being. "No freakin' way! _You_ let go of _me_, _first_, and I _might_ let go, if you ask really nicely!" She gave the bang a few more hard tugs, as if to prove her point.

Saito growled low under his breath. "Itachi." His right hand darted forward and grasped Misao's braid. "Let. Go." Both words were emphasized with pulls on the ninja's hair.

The weasel girl would not give up so easily, though. "Oh yeah? Well, _two_ can play at this game!" She reached backward with her locked wrist until she could feel his chest beneath her palm, and then proceeded to poke her fingernails into him. "Release my braid, or I swear, I will make you bleed!"

Anyone that walked into _that_ room, at _that_ moment, would probably be shocked at the odd-looking position the ookami and the itachi were in. Misao's head was tilted back from the force of the downward pull on her hair, and was resting near the wolf's shoulder. Her back was being pressed into his front, with her arm jammed between them. The weasel's free hand had hold of one of the detective's bangs, and her trapped hand was digging into his chest.

Of course, it was _then_ that Kondo walked into _that_ room, at _that_ moment, and was most definitely shocked at their odd-looking position. In fact, he was shocked into silence! …For a few seconds, anyway… "…HAJIME? MISAO?" The police chief blinked at them, open-mouthed, but then shook himself from his disbelief. "_Well_…am I interrupting something? Hee hee…should I leave, now?"

Both the weasel and the wolf's heads whipped up, but only Misao's eyes widened.

Saito, on the other hand, mentally cursed his stupid luck. _Argh…dammit…Kondo's _never_ going to let me live this down… _The "knowing" smirk on his superior's face was enough to confirm that. If only he had stayed away from the cursed itachi! He should have _known_ something like this would happen! _Baka Kondo…he has_ impeccable _timing…_

Misao, meanwhile, was mortified. Oh…what did the police chief think of her now? Here she was, in a compromising, strange position…with her own _bodyguard_, no less! Well, it was the stupid man's fault, in the first place…if he hadn't teased her, and then laughed at her, none of this would have happened! _I hate this guy…dammit, why couldn't I have gotten a different person to protect me? Saito'll probably just watch as I'm skinned, gutted, and filleted…not only that, but he'd tease me afterwards on how my insides aren't the right color, or something!_

At least Aoshi-sama wouldn't have to worry about anything…Misao planned to stay as far away from the baka wolf as she could.

Of course, they'd have to disentangle themselves, first.

She reluctantly released Saito's ebony bang from her grip, and then sighed as the wolf relinquished the hold he had on her poor defenseless wrist. The weasel gently pried her fingers loose from the detective's flesh, wincing slightly when she saw that the tips of her nails were red. Whoops. So she had drawn blood, after all. Ah, well…he deserved it, anyway!

…And why hadn't he let go of her braid, yet?

The wolf gently rolled the silky-soft hair between his fingers, utterly enjoying the "look of death" he was receiving from the weasel, who had turned her head to glare at him with those bright blue-green eyes of hers. Ah, she angered far too quickly…so unlike…her…so unlike Tokio…

_…Tokio…_

_Murderer…murderer…you killed her, and you don't deserve to even have memories of her beauty…_

Saito let the braid fall free from his now nerveless fingers, desperately trying to block that nasty little voice from whispering the horrible, unforgiving truth in his ear…

It took him a moment to realize that Kondo was talking, and was snapped out of his reverie immediately.

"So…you two…" Enter the eyebrow wiggling here. "…Well, I take it you had fun?" A huge, pleased grin spread across the police chief's face when he saw the glare that the wolf was sending his way.

Misao crossed her arms in front of her chest, silently berating herself for losing her cool around the detective. How could one man get her so riled up? Normally, she could keep her temper fairly in check, but _he_…_he_ had made her snap with a few simple words! And she couldn't _believe_ that Kondo would even _think_ that they were…doing _that_… Of course…maybe they _had_ looked a bit…_suspicious_…but…sheesh!

The police chief was quite happy with himself. It seemed that Hajime and Misao were getting along fairly well…at least she hadn't tried to kill the wolf, yet! _And Hajime will grow on her in time, I'm sure…once she gets to know him, and his teasing doesn't bother her so much…_

"Sir…_fun_? Did that actually _look like_ we were having…_fun_?" Saito growled low in his throat, allowing some of his pent-up anger to be released. _Damn Kondo! Must he always assume such _ridiculous_ things?_

"Well, my boy, it _did_ look like you were enjoying yourself…" The police chief began.

Misao decided to break in. "Yeah, he _was_. Enjoying _tormenting_ me, that is!"

"Hn…baka itachi…"

"HEY! I _TOLD YOU_ TO STOP CALLING ME THAT! MY NAME IS _MISAO_, DAMMIT! NOT ITACHI, OR WEASEL, OR GIRL…IT'S _MISAO_!"

Kondo couldn't help but sweat drop when he noticed that this argument was the same thing they had been fighting about right before he left…

The wolf rolled his eyes at the noodle-covered woman, finally becoming impatient. "Look, weasel –"

"IT'S _MISAO_! DO I HAVE TO SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU, BAKA? M. I. S. A. O! _MISAO_, DAMMIT, _MISAO_!"

"Okay, fine."

The ninja abruptly stopped her ranting at those two little words. "Wh-wha'?" She was stunned…had Saito just agreed to stop teasing her? Was the world going to end? Was an apocalypse coming? Were all of the seas, lakes, and rivers in the world going to dry up? Was everything going to just…_die_?

"You heard me. Fine. I'll call you…_Misao_…"

The way he said her name still made it sound like he was insulting her. Accursed man…

"…but you still _look_ like a weasel."

She blinked. Blink, blink…blink, blink…

Kondo hurriedly threw himself between the detective and the ninja, frantic to stop another fight from forming. "AHEM…so, you two…how was the tour?" _An abrupt change of subject should help…_

The ookami and the itachi both looked at the police chief, confused. Then, at the same time…

"'Tour'? What 'tour'?"

"'Tour', sir?"

Kondo groaned and placed his head in his hands. _So hopeless…the both of them… _"Oh, nothing…forget I said anything…but, Hajime, we should probably leave. You're going to have to pack up your stuff to get ready for tomorrow, when you move in."

Personally, Misao was quite happy to hear that. At least she had one last night to herself before this…_jerk_…came to live with her…

"Yes, sir, you're right. See you later, itachi," Saito pulled his leather jacket on and walked towards the front door, stopping only long enough to wave vaguely over his shoulder at the ninja. "Do me one favor, though, _Misao..._take a shower. You smell like soba." Then…he was gone.

The police chief grinned nervously at Misao, for the girl was starting to turn a violent crimson-color… "Umm…heh heh…goodbye, Misao-san! Just…one last thing…don't let him get to you so much. He really doesn't mean half the things he says." Steam started to pour from her ears. "Eh, bye!"

The weasel was alone now, and she was glad for it. That didn't make her any less pissed off, though. She plucked a stray noodle from her hair and threw it to the floor in fury. Damn that man! He was going to be the death of her! Well…revenge was always sweet…ah-hah hah hah…yes…revenge…

She'd get Saito back, and he'd regret the day he ever met Makimachi Misao, payback-expert extraordinaire!

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Jasmine: I hope the length makes up for the lateness...Eh-heh heh…well, 'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"

**Japanese Words:  
**Baka: Stupid/Idiot  
Itachi: Weasel  
Musume: Girl  
Ookami: Wolf  
Hajime: Begin  
Soba: Those noodle-like things that Saito loves…you know what I'm talking about.


	5. Flirting

"For her own breakfast she'll project a scheme, nor take her tea without a stratagem." - Edward Young

Jasmine: Okay, has anyone noticed my quotes? (Points to the top of the page) I've been trying to get them to sort of…represent each chappie. How have I been doing? I don't own Rurouni Kenshin (or Victoria's Secret). Next chappie, awaaaay!

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**The Difference Between Love And Loathing: Chapter Five - Flirting**

(With Saito, Misao, and Chou, in some mall, March 18, 2005…11:37 a.m.)

"There! I gotta go in that store, too!"

Saito Hajime wasn't enjoying his time at the mall with one Makimachi Misao, weasel-girl-to-rule-them-all, queen-of-the-exploding-soba, and payback-expert-extraordinaire.

"Hurry up, you slowpokes!"

Sawagejou Chou didn't look any better, slumped over in boredom as he was. At least there were women for him to look at. That was a small bonus, in any case. Especially when they grinned at him in that…_certain_ _way_…hee hee…

"HEY! YOU CAN'T JUST LET ME WANDER OFF BY MYSELF! I THOUGHT YOU GUYS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE MY _BODYGUARDS?_" Misao huffed angrily and placed her hands on her hips, glaring back at the two stubborn men lounging languidly in chairs _way_ behind her. "Come on! It won't take me _that_ long!"

The Osakan crossed his arms over his chest, sighing slightly. _Women an' their shoppin'…_ "Yeah, that's what ya' said fer th' _last_ store…an' th' one bafore _that_…an' th' one bafore _that_! Sorry, but Ah ain't gonna go in another, ya'd have ta' pay meh first!" He nodded resolutely, showing her that he absolutely, positively, _completely_ meant it.

Misao had only just met Chou that morning, but she already liked him better than Saito. Which was strange (but not that hard of a thing to do), since he was the detective's partner, and all…she figured that he'd be similar to the wolf…cold, mean, and sarcastic. Poor guy, having to work with the likes of such an…_ass_!

"Hn…baka itachi…this is the last store, and then we're leaving."

"Yeah, Ah'm freakin' bored…this ain't fun t'all!"

The ninja's face started going red, but then she calmed down when she realized exactly _which_ store was next. "Heh heh…well, follow me, boys…I promise, this will be the final one." They didn't know what awaited them, where most men fear to tread…Victoria's Secret! Bwah-hah hah hah hah!

Saito fluidly rose from the chair with his natural (and maddening) grace, and languidly strolled over to the weasel, who, in turn, eyed him with barely restrained irritation. What the hell was the man planning? She could see the mischievous glint in his amber eyes, silently warning her of some kind of upcoming embarrassment. Oh hell, why did the wolf have to act like such a freaking predator? It had only been a day since she'd met him, but she was already sick of his sarcasm and damned teasing!

The said man smirked down at her as if reading her thoughts, and then finding that he enjoyed them immensely. "Ah, try to avoid having an outburst here, weasel…too many people are watching." The amusement was clearly evident in that annoyingly annoying deep voice of his…and it sent a wave of _extremely_ annoying annoyance crashing through her…annoyingly.

To put it lightly, Makimachi Misao, weasel-girl-to-rule-them-all, queen-of-the-exploding-soba, and payback-expert-extraordinaire was _not_ pleased…_at all_. She noisily growled under her breath and felt her face once again heat up with raw anger. "Let's. Just. GO!" The itachi grabbed angrily at one of the wolf's hands and proceeded to try and pull him into the nearest store (which just _happened_ to be Victoria's Secret), but was sort of…failing to do so. Horribly, I might add.

Saito raised an eyebrow at Misao's antics, watching with a wide grin as she struggled fruitlessly to yank him from his standing position. He didn't budge, but she refused to give up. This moment was too good for the detective to pass up…he _had_ to say something. "Want me this bad, itachi? I'm flattered."

"GAH! YOU BIG JEEEEERK!" She clasped her other hand around his larger one and pulled harder, digging her heels into the tile floor as she did so. Both the wolf and the weasel ignored the strange looks that passersby threw at them, for they were completely absorbed in their little…scene.

Chou, meanwhile, felt completely left out. He fingered his now shorter locks of hair in agitation, angrily (though not purposely, of course) twisting the blond strands into little knots. Ah yes, he had gotten a haircut. Not _much_ of a haircut, though, as he had left his bangs fairly long, so they flopped in front of his eyes. The rest was in sort of a shaggy cut, earning him the nickname of "Mop-head" from his bird-headed roommate, Sagara Sanosuke. _Che, as if _he_ should beh talkin'…his hair's more spikier and stranger-lookin' than mahne…_

After a few more minutes of meaningless tug-of-war (mostly on Misao's part), the Osakan growled in frustration and jumped up from his chair. "Would you two stop flirtin', please? Let's just finish up the damn shoppin' already! Mah head hurts!"

Both turned to glare at him, and two almost identical black auras immediately appeared.

The blond sweat dropped at the evil looks. "Err, eh-heh?"

After Chou had shrunk sufficiently, Saito turned _his_ glare back down upon the little weasel. "I am _not_ going in _there_!" He pointed over at the Victoria's Secret store…the same one Misao had just attempted to bodily drag him into. He had acted as if he hadn't known what she was planning, but he knew…the wolf _always_ knew. Nothing could ever surprise him. He was good like that.

The itachi let go of his hand and crossed her arms in front of her chest. _Damn! It _almost_ worked, too…ah, but I have another idea…_ "What if I got attacked while I was in there, huh?" _Ha! Beat that, Wolf-boy!_

He crossed his arms as well. "You'd be on your own." _Hn, try something better, weasel._

She stuck her tongue out at him. _Just watch me._ "If I got hurt, Kondo'd be pretty pissed. You might even lose your job!"

Moments later, all three were in the store, and Misao was feeling quite triumphant…

…While Chou was wondering exactly why the _hell_ he was with them. Not that he was complaining any, for the women _in_ Victoria's Secret were decidedly _nicer_ than the ones _outside_ it.

The weasel immediately darted over to the underwear aisle, successfully hiding her victorious grin from the livid-looking wolf. Oh, vengeance was certainly sweet, indeed. Misao had given the detective exactly what he deserved: complete and utter embarrassment!

Saito, meanwhile, was leaning impassively against the doorframe back at the front of the store, surveying the area cautiously with his wolfish eyes. Damn, he needed a cigarette. Badly. Stupid itachi-musume, dragging him into this…place. Hn. Speaking of which… "Would you hurry up, weasel? I don't want to spend anymore time in here then I have to."

Misao turned around and regarded him with slight anger. "What, you don't want me to have any underwear?"

"No, not really."

"…YOU PERVERT!"

The Osakan was listening in intently on the conversation, not really taking part in it, and suddenly burst into laughter. This was too much! Were his partner and the little weasel _actually_ flirting? It sure seemed like it!Before, he had only been kidding!Ah well…who was he to ruin their fun? They sure seemed to be enjoying themselves…

…And the checkout lady looked like she was bored…

"Hn, itachi, quiet down. People are staring at you."

"STARING AT _ME_? YOU BASTARD! THEY'RE _OBVIOUSLY_ LOOKING AT _YOU_ BECAUSE…B-BECAUSE…"

"Can't think of a comeback, weasel? Heh, pathetic."

Chou ambled over to the checkout counter and leaned against it casually. "So…been workin' here long, beaut'ful?"

The woman glanced up, slightly irritated that she had been disrupted while reading her magazine. "Excuse me?" She stopped chewing her gum for a second to blow a good-sized bubble, allowing it to pop before bringing it back into her mouth.

The Osakan happily looked her up and down, blissfully ignoring the annoyed glare she sent his way. She wore a decidedly low-cut red shirt, displaying her assets to the general public. Her tight, black jeans set off the rest of her figure, and the green lipstick she wore gave her an exotic look. Ah, Victoria's Secret was the best place to find girls, that was for sure. Of course, you had to have the guts to even _enter_ the store, first, but the prizes inside were definitely worth it.

"Hiya there, th' name's Sawagejou Chou. Nahce ta' meetcha, gorgeous." He grinned lazily at her and winked slyly. _Hah! No woman can resist th' ole Osakan charm.._

One of her eyebrows went up. "Komagata Yumi. I suppose it's…nice to meet you, too." She licked her lips suggestively, and then brought her head down to rest it upon one of her fists. She studied the man before her, quite liking what she saw. _Hmm, definitely not bad. Icertainly couldhave _worse _lookingguys hitting on me._

"HEY! WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU'RE JUST AN UGLY BEHEMOTH, SO THERE!"

"…'Ugly behemoth'?"

"YEAH! HAH! NYAAAAAH!"

"You are such a juvenile little girl, itachi. I wouldn't expect a woman to stick her tongue out at me."

Yumi's eyebrow went higher up, and she looked over at the feuding wolf and weasel with a bit of astonishment. "…Do you know them?"

The Osakan paused for a second, debating whether or not to admit it. He decided on the negative. "…Nope. Never seen 'em bafore in mah lahfe."

"_JUVENILE_? HOW DARE YOU, YOU STUPID…UGLY…BEHEMOTH, YOU!"

"Hn. Come up with a better insult then that, weasel. It's starting to get old."

"JERK!"

"That one, too."

Chou sweat dropped. "So, darlin', can Ah have yer number? Ah'd lahke ta' go out with ya', some tahme. That is, if'n yer free." A smirk graced his lips. _C'mon, babe, ya' _know_ ya' cain't resist meh._

"Actually, I already have a boyfriend, stud. Oh, Shishio-sama!"

A man suddenly entered the store from a door in the back labeled "Employees Only", and approached the counter. Except, in a disturbing way, he didn't really _look_ like a man, from what Chou could see. Ugly burns covered his face, morphing it into some kind of disturbing parody of a normal human's visage. Shishio (for the Osakan figured that this was, indeed, the man Yumi had called out to) took one look at Chou, and then grinned. A horrifyingly bloodcurdling grin, too, one that had the poor blond wishing that he was anywhere _but_ Victoria's Secret, at the moment.

"This guy bothering you, dear?" The burnt man placed his glove-clad hand on Yumi's shoulder possessively. "I _could_ kill him. In fact, I'd like that very much." And, by the tone of his voice, that sentence seemed dreadfully true.

The Osakan developed little blue lines under his eyes. How the _hell_ did he _always_ get into these messes? First getting Saito for a partner, and now this…the homicidal, burn-covered boyfriend of the hottest woman Chou had ever seen was about to beat his face in. Probably with a metal pipe.

Yumi laughed kittenishly, seemingly unable to see that the poor blond wanted nothing more then to leave the store; preferably with all of his limbs attached. "Oh honey, it's fine. He was only hitting on me, you know how it is. I merely wanted to show him that I was taken!" She batted her eyelashes at the Osakan, and Chou, in turn, paled at the, "I-will-kill-you-now-you-dirty-scumbag!" look Shishio gave him.

_Mental note ta' self: Victoria's Secret is a good place ta' _fahnd_ the gurls, but an extremely _bad_ place ta' hit on 'em…_

"JUST…SHUT UP, ALREADY! I THOUGHT YOU WANTED ME TO HURRY? WELL, I CAN'T HURRY IF YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF!"

"Hn. I'm just stating the facts, itachi. You're too childish to be twenty-five."

"DO YOU WANT ME TO TAKE THIS METAL COATHANGER AND SHOVE IT SIDEWAYS UP YOUR ASS?"

"I think you'd enjoy that."

Chou tried to smile innocently up at the scary man, silently trying to assure him that he had absolutely no intention of stealing his girlfriend. "R-right then, m-mebbe Ah should jus'…eh-heh…go…?"

"Yeah, I think you should," Shishio couldn't help but smirk as he wrapped an arm around Yumi's bare shoulders. She leaned contentedly into him. "I'll give you five seconds to get ten feet from this counter. Ready? One, two…"

"B-but, eh?"

"Your time's running out. Three, four…"

The blonde squeaked slightly and took off running, nearly crashing into Misao in his haste to escape mortal peril. Damn! He was a freakin' cop, he should've been arresting that guy, not fleeing from him! …It was so Yumi would be happy, that was it. Not because he was afraid to, or anything. Really.

Shishio's leer widened. "Heh, normally I only get to two before they freak out and scamper away. I hope I'm not losing my touch."

The flirtatious woman giggled and lightly hit him on the chest. "He was just a bit braver than the others. Don't look so down, honey. You're still plenty scary enough to drive them off."

Meanwhile, back on the other end of the store, the weasel was glaring heatedly up at Chou, irate that he had disturbed her and Saito's fight. "HEY! What the hell's _wrong_ with you, Mop-head?"

_Oh, great, now _she's_ callin' meh bah that stupid nickname, too! _"Well, fer _yer_ infermat'n, _itachi_, Ah was jus' nearly _killed_ bah some freaky-ass burnt-guy! So, GIT OFFA MAH CASE, DAMMIT!"

The wolf had to chuckle at that. "'Freaky-ass burnt-guy', eh? Sounds like quite an adventure, Ahou." What had Chou been _up to_ while Saito was arguing with the little weasel?It was amazing what one baka could accomplish in such a short amount of time.

Misao, for the moment, was trying to ignore them both and return to her shopping. Men: complete idiots, the lot of them. If only women didn't need them to reproduce, for the world would be so much better without their moronic ways to screw it up. Ah well, best to not dwell on such matters. If there weren't males in the world, then she wouldn't have her beloved Aoshi-sama!

The mere thought of him made her feel warm, and she wished that he were there with her instead of Saito and Chou. She hadn't even _told_ Aoshi that she now had a bodyguard, that some guy wanted to kill her…

But why? Why was _she_, of all people, the next target? Sure, she was fairly wealthy, however The Akuma didn't seem to _want_ money, of that she was certain. He had killed women from all stretches of life: poor, middle-class, rich, and everything in-between. It just wasn't fair. N_obody_ should be allowed to slaughter as he did. So many innocent women had fallen before his blade, and Misao was going to make sure that no more would meet their deaths because of him.

As long as she could fight, she would do so until her last breath.

"Lost in thought are we, _Misao_?"

…And maybe Saito would help her, if he'd stop being such a jerk…

There was only one way to find out. And when that moment came, they'd be ready.

No matter what.

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Jasmine: (Yawns) I hope ya'll liked it. Now, I'm going to bed. Leave a review…if I get happy enough, I might make the next chappie quite…interesting. Well, 'till next time, loyal reviewers…this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off.

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them."


	6. Tae

"Women begin by rejecting a man's advances and end by blocking his retreat." – Oscar Wilde

Jasmine: (Sad sigh) I guess not a lot of people liked last chappie…(Bursts into tears) EIGHT-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO HITS AND FORTY-TWO REVIEWS! (Sobbing hysterically)…Right then…I don't own anything, and here's the next chapter…

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**The Difference Between Love And Loathing – Chapter Six: Tae**

(With Saito, Misao, and Chou in Victoria's Secret, March 18, 2005…12:04 p.m.)

"…Cin we go now? Ah'm starvin'…"

"Shut up, Ahou."

"Oh, come _on_. Ain't ya' hungry too, Boss?

"…Just…shut up…"

Misao was feeling quite bored, but she was determined to keep Saito in the store for as long as she could. She had stopped looking at the clothes a while ago, and she idly wondered if he'd ever figure it out and yell at her. Ah, well. It was amusing to listen to him and Chou argue. They sounded like an old married couple!

"But _Boss_…"

"_No_, Ahou. Be quiet!"

"MISAO-CHAN!"

And then she was randomly and furiously glomped from behind by an unknown assailant, causing her to squeak loudly and flop forward, nearly brought to the floor by the intensity of the attack. This caught Saito's attention, and he ran forward to help her…

…But Misao held up a hand to stop him.

"Ah haven't seen ya' in _ferever_, Misao-chan!"

The weasel giggled and rolled her eyes, knowing exactly who it was. "Jeeze, Tae-chan! Don't scare me like that!"

Sekihara Tae let go of the poor, slightly squished ninja, grinned widely, and reached down to straighten her fern-green camisole. Standing at a mere five feet three inches, she wasn't much taller than Misao. Her shoulder-length auburn hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and a white handkerchief adorned it. "Well, it's been _way_ too long since we last spoke ta' each other, and Ah jus' thought, hey, why not frighten mah bestest friend ta' death in the process of sayin' hi? Hee hee…"

Misao sighed, trying her hardest to appear stern. "Listen here, Sekihara-san. You can't just go around glomping people without a proper warning!" Not that she hadn't done the same thing to the waitress on a few other occasions, of course, but she was _merely_ trying to make a point.

"Oh, come now, Misao-chan! If Ah cin recall c'rrectly, Ah've been the recipient of a few surprise attacks bah ya' a lot o' tahmes! Ah jus' wanted ta' git ya' back 's'all."

Chou walked over from staring at some lingerie, blinked, and poked Saito hard in the ribs, a bit confused at the sudden turn of events. "…Eh,Boss? Who's that?"

The waitress looked up, startled at the sound of a masculine voice. She stared at the two men, perplexed at why they were there. "Huh? Do ya' know these guys, Misao-chan?" When her eyes settled on Chou, there was an audible gasp of joy. "BLONDIE!"

The poor Osakan never knew what hit him. Suddenly, Tae was just…_there_…and her hands were rapidly fuzzling his hair.

"Oh, yer jus' so _cute_! Blondie, Blondie, Blondie!"

Chou's face rapidly went redder and redder as Tae went on and on in her ranting. He'd never been in a situation…quite like this before, and it was disconcerting, to say the least. He looked towards Misao, desperate for a little help, but frowned when he saw her doubled over in laughter. The amused snickers behind him indicated that his partner wasn't going to assist him, either. Just. Freaking. Great.

"YER A BLONDIE-BEAR! A SUPER-ADORABLE BLONDIE-BEAR, YES YOU ARE!" Insert mass-fuzzling here.

Misao couldn't take it anymore. She had to stop Tae before her stomach exploded from laughing so hard. "T-Tae, l-let go of the p-poor guy, p-please…" Chou…he looked like a tomato! She'd never seen anyone go that red before in her life.

The waitress sighed sadly and obediently backed off, staring mournfully at the messed-up poof of blondness upon the Osakan's head. "…Aww, but Ah haven't seen a fella with hair lahke that in so long…"

"Tae, Tae, you can't just attack some random guy like that! Sheesh, have a bit more self-control," the ninja winked conspiratorially and wrapped an arm around Tae's shoulders. "But…" The waitress looked up hopefully. "Since this _is_ Chou_-_kun, and all…molest his poor hair as much as you want. It's fine with me."

The Osakan, meanwhile, was feeling quite dazed. His blond locks stood up every-which-way, giving him an almost-Sano look (except…not really…that's not possible without hair gel…). He leaned against the nearest wall and ran a hand through it, trying to get it back into a semi-normal appearance. It refused to go down, though, so he sighed heavily and gave up.

Saito couldn't help but chuckle at the stupefied look on Chou's face. The flaxen-haired man probably hadn't even figured out what had attacked him. Tae had practically snuck in like a stealthy ninja and struck before any of them had time to blink! But, enough of that…he hadn't introduced himself, yet. He coughed discreetly at Misao, hoping she'd get the message.

Fortunately for all, she did. "O-oh, right, Sekihara Tae, meet Saito Hajime, my bodyguard." The weasel stepped back to allow them to shake hands.

The detective nodded at Tae, a smirk gracing his lips at the look of awe on her face. "…Ah, nice to meet you. You definitely seem…" What was the word he was looking for? "…Lively…" Not the right one, but it'd have to do.

Tae couldn't help but stare, blinking in astonishment. "B-bodyguard? Misao-chan, why do ya' need a _bodyguard_?" Then she leaned forward to whisper into the weasel's ear, grinning evilly. "…And why's he so damn _hot_?"

Misao blushed a bit and glared at the waitress with angry blue-green eyes. "I-I think we should discuss this over lunch, Tae-chan. Why don't we go to the Akabeko and eat?" She _really_ didn't want to talk about The Akuma in Victoria's Secret…it just didn't seem right (plus, theirony of it all would kill her).

Chou broke out of his stupor and immediately perked up at the mention of food. "E-eat? Yeah, Ah think we should go do that! Eatin' sounds good! In fact, why dun't Ah jus' meet ya'll there, huh? Bye now!" And he disappeared out the door without so much as a backwards glance, the twinkling of a bell the only thing marking his departure.

Tae watched him leave with a large sweat drop and a big grin. "Well, now, Ah balieve that the Blondie has the right idea. We cin chit-chat over a nice lunch at th' Akabeko, mah treat! C'mon!" She followed after him, leaving the wolf and the weasel alone together.

The ninja crossed her arms, immediately feeling a bit uncomfortable. She supposed that she'd have to get used to this, though. They'd be with each other a lot, for who knows _how_ long. "…S-so, I guess…we should go too, huh?"

"…It appears so, itachi."

"Well, why aren't you moving?" Now she was starting to get annoyed. _Stupid, egotistical jerk…_

"I'm waiting for you, baka. I _am_ your bodyguard, you know. I'm supposed to walk _behind_ you."

"…WHO THE HELL MADE _THAT_ STUPID RULE? _I'VE_ NEVER HEARD OF IT!"

Saito sighed and raked a hand through his hair, starting to get fed up with Misao's little temper-tantrums. "Look, weasel, just go. And hurry up about it, why don't you? I, for one, am starving, and I'm sure you are, too."

The ninja huffed and blushed furiously, then ran to the door and angrily pushed it open. "You know, you could be a bit less mean, sometimes. I really wish you would."

"…Hn, whatever…"

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Komagata Yumi sighed when the little group left, thankful for a few moments of peace and quiet. "My, they certainly were a loud bunch, weren't they, dear?"

"Especially that annoying blond. I have half a mind to go after him and kill him just for talking to you…"

"Oh, darling, don't do that! I want him to come back. He was quite…amusing."

Makoto Shishio frowned down at his girlfriend and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really now? What exactly are you saying, Yumi?"

She laughed kittenishly and yanked on his collar, pulling him forward for a long, hot kiss. When the flirtatious woman ran out of breath, she pulled away and leaned back against the counter, panting. "D-definitely not what you _think_ I'm saying, darling…"

"Humph. Well, one can never know with you, now can they?" Shishio wasn't even showing signs of _slight_ asphyxiation, let alone wheezing.

"Hee hee…true, true."

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Tae walked over from the Akabeko ordering counter and sat down at the nearest table, gesturing for Misao to take the seat next to her. "Ah already ordered fer us, and we'll git the food in jus' a minute. But now's not the tahme fer that. Okay, Misao-chan…spill. What's with Mr. Saito-The-Hottie-Hajime and Blondie-Bear, huh?"

The ninja couldn't help but face-fall at the absurd nicknames Tae came up with. When she recovered, she sat down heavily in the chair and rested her face in her palms, sighing as she did so. Where to start? So much had happened in the course of a day. It seemed as if her life had been completely thrown upside-down in a matter of hours. "Well, let me see, here…do you know about the murderer known as "The Akuma"? You must recognize the name. This is the guy that's been going around killing women and…mutilating their bodies." It pained her to say it, for she knew that she could (and might, probably, unless she was more careful) be the next. Misao really didn't want to end up as a sad little heap of muscle and bone thrown together in some plastic bag and carelessly hidden in a secluded place somewhere in Tokyo. That just wasn't the kind of end she had envisioned for herself. (Or for anyone, for that matter…she didn't even want that to happen to her worst enemies!)

The waitress' eyes widened at that dreaded name. "The Akuma? O' _course_ Ah know 'bout him! But…what does…he have ta' do with…" Her hand immediately flew over her mouth as she gasped in shock. "N-no, Misao-chan…ya' didn't git –"

She interrupted her with a groan. "I did, sadly. The police took it and are checking it now for fingerprints, but I doubt that there'll be any. The Akuma isn't so stupid as to make an amateurish mistake like leaving such damning evidence behind. Besides, he didn't leave any on any of the _other_ notes that the _other_ women got, so…yeah…"

"Oh, Misao-chan, Ah cain't balieve that this is happenin' ta' ya'. Why you, though? Ah jus'…don't git it…out o' any of the other females he coulda picked, why pick _you_?"

"I've been asking myself that same exact question over and over again, Tae-chan. And even though I don't really know the answer, either, I _can_ say one thing…why _anyone_, really? I suppose I just got lucky. Or, should I say, _un_lucky?" Misao sighed again, scowling, but visually cheered up when a burger, a big plate of fries, and a large Sprite was placed in front of her. "Hey thanks, Tsu-chan!" She grinned up at the shy little waitress, now in a much better mood.

Sanjo Tsubame smiled back, blushing slightly. "O-of course, Misao-san. Ypu always g-get the same th-thing when you c-come here, anyways, so I always know e-exactly what you want," she placed a salad down near Tae and a little container of Italian Dressing. "E-enjoy."

Tae stopped her before she could leave, though, and winked mischievously. "So, Tsu-chan, how's the thing with Yahiko-kun goin', huh?" Both Tsubame and Yahiko worked at the Akabeko, and Tae owned it. She liked to know what was going on at all times between her favorite waitress and waiter.

The shy girl blushed crimson and rubbed her hands together slowly. Misao had seen her do it before during certain situations, and she figured that it was merely a nervous habit. "O-oh, p-pretty well, actually!" She grinned happily, nearly bouncing up and down with joy. "H-he's actually taking me to th-the movies on Friday t-to see a movie! He e-even let me pick which one!"

The waitress started in on her salad and raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised. "And here Ah thought that our own 'Mr. Tough-Guy' didn't _lahke_ 'Chick-Flicks'. Well, Ah s'pose Ah stand c'rrected. Tsu-chan, if'n ya' cin git Yahiko-kun ta' go ta' a movie lahke _that_ with ya', then ya' cin git 'im ta' do _anythin'_. Really, take mah advice and hold on ta' that boy as best as ya' can. Love lahke yers only comes once in a blue moon." Every few words were punctuated with little stabbing motions from Tae's fork.

Tsubame nodded, beaming widely. "Th-thank you, Tae-san. I a-appreciate that."

When the little waitress left, Misao blinked at Tae in astonishment. "What the _hell_ was that about? I've never heard you give a speech like that to _me_, before!" She bit into her burger gleefully, then started scarfing down the fries. The poor little spuds never stood a chance…

Tae sighed and rolled her chocolate-brown eyes. "That's 'cause Ah don't lahke that Shinomori guy yer with, Misao-chan," before the itachi could retort venomously, the waitress interrupted. "Now, now, lemme finish bafore ya' start ta' go ballistic on meh. Look, Misao-chan…the man's cold. He doesn't have one humorous bone in his body. Ah've never heard him laugh bafore, or, hell, Ah've never even seen him smile. Tell meh, how many tahmes has he told ya' he loves ya'?"

Misao idly sipped her Sprite, thinking hard. Aoshi-sama _had_ told her that he loved her…at some point in time. If only she could remember…

He had…she knew he had. But if he did, how come she couldn't think of it?

"I-I…I can't remember, Tae-chan…"

"What, does that mean that he has so many tahmes that ya' can't think o' the number, or that…he really never has, an' yer jus' tryin' ta' cover it up?"

Tae's words bit deep. No, Aoshi-sama truly hadn't. But he would, eventually, she was sure of it! If she loved him enough, then surely…he'd love her back…

The waitress felt bad for ruining Misao's good mood, so she decided to change the subject. "Okay, well, Ah don't care 'bout Shinomori. If you really love the guy, then it's fahne with meh. If'n yer happy, then Ah'm happy. Hell, _Ah'm_ still single, so Ah shouldn't beh talkin', eh?" She grinned widely. "Now, ya' still haven't told meh 'bout those two gentlemen over there…"

Misao turned around and blinked at the table behind them. Chou was inhaling his food like there was no tomorrow, and Saito was calmly sipping at a large coffee and reading the morning paper. Hey, hadn't the damned man said that he was starving? Well, why the _hell_ wasn't he eating anything?

The ninja was just about to have a word with him, when Tae interrupted her again. "So, what's Blondie-Bear's name? Ah don't think ya' introduced us properly, Misao-chan!"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, Tae-chan, you _did_ kinda _attack_ the poor man! His name's Sawagejou Chou, if you really want to know. …And maybe you should stop calling him 'Blondie-Bear', huh?"

"Oh, why? Ah love that name! And b'sides, Ah think it suits him perf'ctly!"

"…Tae-chan, you're an idiot."

"Humph. At least Ah don't have the hots fer mah own bodyguard."

Misao jumped her words, eyes going wide. "E-E-EH? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, BY THAT?"

The waitress grinned smugly, eyes giving the weasel a knowing look. "Don't think Ah haven't noticed the way ya' stare at 'im, Misao-chan. Ah mean, Ah don't blame ya'…he's purdy damn hot! 'Course, not as hot as that Blondie-Bear over there, but he's still way up there in the totem pole of hotness!"

Stare? STARE? When had Misao _ever_ stared at Saito? They had only been with Tae for a few minutes, and the ninja couldn't recall ogling the wolf at all in that short span of time!

Damned Tae putting strange thoughts into her head. Aoshi-sama was the only guy for her, and they'd get married one day and have kids, then grow old together. That was her dream. He was her world, her everything! She couldn't imagine life without her Aoshi-sama.

So, then why whenever she'd try to imagine those beautiful, icy-blue eyes of his, she only saw endless, unflinching amber and molten gold?

Yes, her life had certainly _been_ thrown into chaos in merely a day. It's strange, the way Fate likes to work, isn't it?

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Jasmine: Okay, guys…I'm posting this fast, and I'm in a hurry, so forgive any mistakes. I'll fix them later. Oh, by the way...yes, there are a few side-pairings. Chou/Tae, Yahiko/Tsubame, Sanosuke/Megumi, Kenshin/Kaoru, and...Shishio/Yumi. I'll try to make them all appear in some way...but Chou/Tae is definitely the biggest of the side-pairs.I hope I get some more feedback, this time…the lack of reviews kinda had me down, so I didn't start this until today. I shall respond in my bio when I have the chance. Well, until next time, loyal reviews, this is Jasmine Reinier, sighing off.

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them."


	7. Breakdown

"But, now I know she never was and never will be, you're not real and you can't save me. And somehow now you're everybody's fool…" - Evanescence (Everybody's Fool)

Jasmine: Okay, since I haven't done a songfic in forever, this one will have a song in it just because it can. It's Everybody's Fool by Evanescence, and I don't own it. I also don't own Rurouni Kenshin, and look…up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's the next chappie!

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**The Difference Between Love And Loathing - Chapter Seven: Breakdown**

(With Saito and Misao at the ninja's house, March 18, 2005…8:05 p.m.)

The time had zoomed by so fast for Misao; she hadn't even noticed the clock until Tae suddenly glanced out the nearest window and squeaked that she had to get going. Chou had left not long after her, grumbling crossly under his breath about evil hair-attacking women and that his job didn't pay enough for the stuff he had to go through. The ninja couldn't help but giggle at that (albeit a bit nervously, because now she was alone with Saito once more). Poor Chou-kun…the waitress would probably be attacking him a lot more in the days to come, for Misao planned to do something with the four of them together again. It had been fun, just hanging out. Tae and her strange little quirks, Chou and his big mouth, even Saito with his…eh…sarcasm…

After the two Kansai folk left, the wolf and the weasel decided that they both had had enough of the mall and went directly home. Saito insisted on driving (as if the itachi didn't know how, sheesh! The arrogant ass was probably afraid she'd kill them both, or something) and they made it back to the house without too much of a glitch. The only truly bad thing about the ride was the huge awkward silence that stretched between them for the first fifteen minutes, in which Misao kept stealing glances at his stony profile and idly wondered if he'd say anything. He didn't, and she settled on twiddling her thumbs, which resulted in the wolf snarling at her in annoyance.

But Misao wasn't about to take any of that from him sitting down, and so…another fight ensued (mostly on the weasel's part, though, as the wolf could only say a few words between the breaks in her screaming). It lasted until they made it to the front porch of the ninja's house, where Saito abruptly ended it by disappearing through the door and into the living room before Misao had time to retort.

"H-HEY! COME BACK HERE, YOU BASTARD! YOU'RE THE WORST BODYGUARD ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET, I HOPE YOU KNOW!" She fumed, angrily stalking after him with her fists clenched tightly to her side. The nerve of that accursed man! What was his problem, anyway? Surely he could have at least **attempted** to strike up a conversation with her!

Saito, meanwhile, was nearly failing to keep his utter exasperation with the weasel under wraps. Yelling at her was sorely tempting, but he vehemently decided against it. Letting his emotions get the best of him wasn't something he did very often, and for good reason, too…

He sighed quietly and raked a hand back through his ebony hair, growling slightly under his breath as his bangs flopped forward to tickle his chin. How the hell was he going to live with this girl for whatever amount of time it took to capture The Akuma? Surely he'd perish before the end! The mere thought caused him to snicker quietly to himself. In fact, he could see it now on the headlines of various newspapers: _Saito Hajime, homicide detective of the Third _(hint, hint) _Precinct, was killed today by one Makimachi Misao, weasel-girl-to-rule-them-all, queen-of-the-exploding-soba, and payback-expert-extraordinaire. Reports claim that the death wasn't intentional, as it was inevitable that Saito would die from sheer aggravation by the itachi's constant temper-tantrums._

The wolf sighed again and gracefully sat down upon Misao's burgundy couch, grateful for a bit of a rest after strolling around that stupid mall all day. The squishy, oversized cushions of that particular piece of furniture were especially nice to the touch, and felt soft and silky under his hands. She definitely had money, that was certain…_he'd_ never be able to pay for something as nice as this with the wages he was receiving now. Oh, and speaking of Misao…

The ninja abruptly stormed into the room (looking only a _bit_ flustered), crossed her arms, set her legs shoulder-width apart, and glared heatedly down at Saito with a rage that would send even the bravest of men into a bought of hysterical tears if it were fixed upon them. It didn't, however, faze the wolf in any way, and he merely raised an eyebrow at her, which (if at all possible) infuriated the girl even more.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, HUH?"

Saito rolled his eyes and crossed his own arms, now wishing that he had instead retreated into their shared bedroom to get away from the huge argument that he was sure would be brewing in the next…five minutes, or so. "Look, itachi…just drop it. This has been a long day, and I'm in no mood for one of your tantrums, at the moment," he stated in a monotone voice, carefully making sure that it was devoid of any emotion that he was feeling at the moment. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it haphazardly over the back of the couch, propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of him, and closed his amber eyes, trying to block the sound of the seething weasel from his senses. "…And stop staring at me like that…it's annoying…"

Misao growled furiously and was just about to rejoinder, but was rudely cut off when the doorbell rang. "…Dammit…who the hell could that be?" She threw the wolf another fiery glare before exiting the room and making her way back to the front door. Really…who _could_ it be? It certainly wasn't Tae, for she was most definitely at her other job. Nor was it Chou, as he hadn't been told the ninja's address, yet. So…that only left one other person…

_(Perfect by nature…)_

The weasel reached the door and flung it open happily (nearly threw it off its hinges, the poor door) and squeaked loudly with joy upon seeing her beloved man. "AOSHI-SAMA!"

_(Icons of self-indulgence)_

Shinomori Aoshi grunted slightly and nearly toppled over when he was glomped by the perky, overly happy ninja-girl. "…Aa…Misao-mine." His voice still retained the detached tone that it had had the day before, but Misao either didn't seem to notice, or just didn't care. She was simply happy to see her Aoshi again…even if she **did** have to explain her strange new situation to him. That wouldn't be easy…

_(Just what we all need)_

After hearing the commotion and the squealed exclamation, Saito had opted to drag himself from the coziness of the couch and follow the itachi to the door. He stayed partially out of sight, however, and leaned back against the sky-colored wall with a bit of agitation. This man obviously wasn't an intruder, with the way Misao was…hugging him. In fact, he was probably her boyfriend. _Humph. Stupid, idiotic girl…_

The wolf hastily stopped himself, eyes widening fractionally with confusion. Why the hell was he caring so much? This wasn't right…not at all. He shouldn't be fazed by something as trivial as this. After all, it was none of his business about whom the itachi chose to date.

_(More lies about a world that…)_

…Right?

"Oh, I missed you so much, Aoshi-sama!" And then the weasel did something completely and utterly impulsive (in fact, it even startled Aoshi): she gave the ice block a big old smooch on the lips. Not a peck, nor a kiss, but a smooch. Maybe even a **sah-mooch**, what with the fact that it was so intense, poor Shinomori was almost once again brought backwards to the cold, hard ground.

_(…Never was, and never will be)_

Saito blinked at the floundering ice block, frowning slightly despite himself. Sheesh, the itachi acted as though she hadn't seen the man in years. She could at _least_ have some decency…after all, she _did_ have an audience…even if she hadn't realized it, yet.

_(Have you no shame, don't you see me?)_

Aoshi staggered back a few feet before managing to successfully right himself. He reached forward and gripped Misao's shoulders firmly in each hand, then roughly pulled her off of him. "…Aa…Misao-mine, I came here to…tell you something fast, as I must be off…" Strange, there seemed to be a presence nearby. He ignored the way the weasel's face fell, and gazed around the corner of the open doorframe. Why was there a man in her house…?

_(You know you've got everybody fooled)_

Misao sadly followed those beautiful blue eyes of his to their destination: the wolf. She sighed deeply, not relishing what was to come next. "I guess I have some explaining to do, Aoshi-sama," she idly beckoned Saito forward with one hand, then set the other on her denim-clad hip. "Y-you know…of The Akuma, right? Well…umm…I g-got a note, you see…from h-him…and…he's after me, Aoshi-sama…"

_(Look, here she comes now…)_

The detective growled quietly to himself. So, he hadn't been as concealed as he had initially thought. He stepped out of "hiding", lazily strolled over to the weasel, and fixed Shinomori with a glare, mentally sizing him up. Anyone could be a potential enemy, after all…and even if he was _forced_ to be Misao's bodyguard, he wasn't going to do a shabby job of it.

_(Bow down and stare in wonder)_

Shinomori was clothed in a large, off-white white trench coat with an equally white sash tied in the front to keep it closed. Black gloves covered his hands, and a thin, deep-blue scarf was wrapped elegantly around his neck, nearly matching the color of his eyes. The man made Saito feel very plain, for he was only wearing a tight black T-shirt and a pair of black jeans.

_(Oh, how we love you!)_

"…Aa…I believe I understand…but tell me, Misao-mine…who exactly is this?" Aoshi crossed his arms in front of his chest and eyed the wolf frigidly, already not liking his first impression of the man. Those amber, wolfish eyes of his were too calculating, too hard-edged…

Misao jumped a little, startled by the steel in Aoshi's voice. "O-oh, him? This is S-Saito Hajime, m-my…bodyguard," she stuttered out, nervously wringing her hands together. She glanced back and forth between the two men, silently contemplating why they were looking at each other with such…ice. _Hmm…Aoshi-sama's not taking this very hard…isn't he worried about me? I mean…he **could** show a **little** concern…_

_(No flaws when you're pretending)_

"Hn…you don't need to introduce me, itachi…I believe I can handle it," Saito sauntered forward and held out a hand to the ice block, smirking broadly. "As the weasel has already stated, my name is Saito Hajime, and I am a homicide detective from the Third Precinct. My chief has assigned me to protect Misao from The Akuma, so you needn't worry…she's in very capable hands." The smirk stretched into a mocking grin.

_(But, now I know she…)_

Shinomori's eyes narrowed slightly, but he took the hand and shook it, releasing it almost immediately afterwards as if it were a snake. "…Aa…Shinomori Aoshi. It's…a pleasure to meet you…" With the frosty manner he had said it, it _really_ was _not_ a compliment in any shape, way, or form.

"W-well, now that all the introductions and whatnot are done, umm…why'd ya' wanna see me, Aoshi-sama? N-not that I'm complaining, or anything!"

_(…Never was, and never will be)_

"…I'd prefer it if we were alone, Misao-mine…" He glared pointedly at Saito.

The wolf rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I'm not going anywhere, Shinomori. Leaving the itachi alone isn't something I'm really _allowed_ to do. Hence the whole bodyguard title," he leaned back against the nearest wall and pulled his cigarettes from his pocket. "Go ahead and talk with her, if you must…but I stay." There was a small hissing noise as he lit a match and set the end of the nicotine-stick aflame, then inhaled deeply.

Aoshi blankly stared at the man, successfully hiding his distaste and frustration from him. "…Aa…fine, then," he turned away and set a hand gently upon one of Misao's shoulders, knowing that what he was about to say would crush the poor little thing. "…Misao-mine…"

The weasel grinned widely up at him with utter adoration and rested her own hand on top of his, softly caressing his wrist through the glove._ I wonder what he wants to say to me…maybe he'll tell me that he loves me! Ha! In your face, Tae-chan!_ Her heartbeat quickened in anticipation. "Yeah, Aoshi-sama?"

"…We're through…"

_(You don't know how you've betrayed me!)_

Well, she most _definitely_ hadn't been expecting _that_. 'I love you', would have been amazing. Or even, 'I might be falling for you' could have sufficed. But this…surely it was some kind of…of joke! "Wh-what?" She felt empty inside, her heart crumbling to pieces even as the seconds went by.

_(And somehow you've got everybody fooled…)_

"…I apologize, Misao-mine, but I cannot do this anymore. I'm breaking up with you."

The itachi stared at him in total and complete shock; mind not able to comprehend the horrible truth that her traitorous ears were hearing. "N-no…but…b-but Aoshi-sama…" Her voice trembled horribly, not capable of forming the words that she so desperately wished to say, to plead…anything to keep him from leaving her. "A-Aoshi-sama –"

Shinomori cut her off abruptly and deftly released her shoulder, whirling around to exit the house before the girl could come to her senses. "This is how it must be, Misao-mine…"

_(Without the mask…where will you hide?)_

The wolf was observing this confrontation impassively in the background, not wanting to get in the middle of the lover's tiff. It felt so familiar, though…in a strange sort of way. He shrugged and blew out a stream of smoke, absentmindedly watching the tendrils twist and turn before they disappeared into thin air. How was the itachi going to cope with a situation such as this…?

_(Can't find yourself…lost in your lie?)_

This wasn't happening, couldn't be happening. Not here, not now…Aoshi wasn't saying goodbye, wasn't walking out that door and leaving her there by herself. Dear Kami-sama, this just couldn't be real. "A-AOSHI-SAMA!" And suddenly, her legs were able to move again. Suddenly, her brain was working once more. Suddenly, she knew that she couldn't allow him to go…not like this. She lurched forward through the front door after the ice block and stumbled a bit on the stairs, but finally caught him a few feet down the gravel driveway. "I-I love you, Aoshi-sama…p-please don't leave me…please e-explain…I-I'm begging you…" Misao grabbed at his sleeve and tugged on it, desperate to slow him down, frantic to bring him to a halt …

Shinomori stopped tersely and turned his head to fix the dismayed girl with an icy-blue gaze. "…Aa…I do not need to justify myself to you, Misao-mine," the force in which he used to fling her from him was strong, and sent the itachi flying backwards to the solid earth. She hit the ground hard, wincing as the small, sharp pebbles dug harshly into her legs and hands. "…Now let me go in peace…" It was for her own good that he was doing this, even if she couldn't understand…

_(I know the truth, now!)_

Misao sat up painfully and blinked at Aoshi with wide, blue-green eyes, unable to believe what he had just done to her. Salty tears threatened to fall down her cheeks, but she wouldn't allow herself to cry in front of him, wouldn't let herself show a weakness at this crucial point in time. "…H-how…how c-could you…?" She bit her lip and fisted a hand, shaking with the effort of holding back her sobs. "HOW COULD YOU, AOSHI?"

_(I know who you are!)_

Saito pushed himself from the wall and rushed over to the doorway, cigarette lazily hanging from the corner of his mouth. He cursed himself for becoming lost in his thoughts and leaving Misao alone, snarled angrily at the sight, and started down the stairs after the weasel. Beating Shinomori to a nice, gooey pulp would be most enjoyable, indeed…

_(And I don't love you anymore…)_

The ice block stared unblinkingly down at her for a few tense seconds, shoved his hands into his pockets, and turned his back upon the girl. Without another word, he disappeared into the pitch darkness…leaving the anguished weasel alone upon the bitter, unforgiving gravel.

_(…It never was, and never will be)_

Misao gazed wretchedly after him and pushed herself into a kneeling position, the tears finally victorious in winning the futile battle she had waged with them. "…Aoshi…y-you…you bastard…" A sob tore free from her throat and she buried her face into her bloody palms. "I loved you…s-so much…so v-very much…"

_(You don't know how you've betrayed me!)_

The stars were bright in the night sky, sharply contrasting with the never-ending blackness of their backdrop. Clouds lazily drifted about in various places, tinged with the very dark royal purple that was associated with times after dusk. Their lumbering forms blocked many stars from view, but were unable to conceal the full moon and its entire splendor. Rays of hoary light joyfully beamed down between the clouds and settled on Misao's trembling form, bathing her in their silver beauty.

_(And somehow you've got everybody fooled)_

For the first time in her life, Makimachi Misao, queen-of-the-exploding-soba, weasel-girl-to-rule-them-all, and payback-expert-extraordinaire felt entirely and wholly lost. Up a creek without a paddle, stuck in an unknown city without a map, locked in a room in the company of Saito without a knife…the list went on and on.

Unbeknownst to the itachi, however, a certain wolf had snuck up behind her and was fast approaching. With only a bit of hesitation, Saito reached down and lightly placed a hand upon the raven crown of the ninja girl's head. "…It's cold out here, Misao. You should…come back inside," when he was only met with a barely stifled sob, the detective sighed under his breath. "I'll even escort you back myself, now come…" He held out the crook of his elbow for her, and then resigned himself to wait patiently.

_(It never was, and never will be)_

Misao sniffled and irately rubbed at her eyes, then looked up at Saito in astonishment. Was he actually…being nice to her? And had he offered…no, surely he hadn't… "…Y-you…will?" She cursed the tremor in her voice, damning herself for being so weak in front of such a strong man. If it was horrifyingly bad to have Aoshi-sama see her cry, then having Saito witness it…was much, much worse…

_Aoshi-sama…_

_(You're not real, and you can't save me!)_

With a determined set to her jaw, the weasel pushed herself from the dirt and gingerly slid her tiny arm through Saito's much larger one. "…Th-thanks, Saito…" She was grateful that it was so dark out, as she was certain that her face was probably beet-red by now. Since they were both wearing T-shirts, their skin was touching, and the feel of his muscled arm around hers sent shivers through Misao's spine. That probably wasn't a good thing, but she decided to ignore it for the sake of avoiding embarrassment.

The wolf started back towards the house with the weasel firmly in tow, then rolled his amber eyes as he recalled her earlier question. "Hn…baka itachi-musume…when I say things, I normally mean them," there was a few seconds of silence, and an owl hooted softly in the distance. "…And there's no need to thank me…I'm merely doing my job." The strange sensations running up his arm told a different story, however, but he plaintively disregarded them as chills brought on by the cold air, and nothing more.

Shinomori didn't know what he was missing.

_(And somehow now, you're everybody's fool…)_

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Jasmine: Well, there you go, guys! I'm sorry if Aoshi was a bit (or a lot) OOC, but he had to be a jerk to make this fit. Oh, and I'm sorry if this is going a little slow, but I believe that it'd take Saito a long time to get to really like someone… ANYways, whoever gives me my fiftieth review shall get a cyber plushie of their choice, complete with talking action! 'Til next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier…signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them..."


	8. Comfort

"Life is a phobia of emotions. If you hide from them, you lose everything; if you face them, you get stronger." - Anonymous

Jasmine: I'm glad you guys liked last chappie! It was actually quite fun to write…(Sweat drop) …who'd ever think that I actually do LOVE Aoshi? Hmm…And I'm sure everyone would enjoy a little Saito/Misao almost-huggle-ness…I am experiencing a lack of fluff, lately…bad Jasmine shouldn't read so much angst! I don't own Rurouni Kenshin and you'll only find the next chappie if you follow the directions on this sheet of paper! (Hands it over) Toodles!

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**The Difference Between Love And Loathing - Chapter Eight: Comfort**

(With Saito and Misao at the ninja's house, March 18, 2005…9:42 p.m.)

Saito cautiously entered the living room and gracefully flopped down into the nearest armchair, sighing soundlessly as he lit another cigarette. He could still hear her crying no matter how hard she tried to hide her sobs from him. Misao, the object of his thoughts,lay slumped over in a pathetic ball on her burgundy couch, squishy pillow crunched tightly to her chest and face buried deep into its soft warmth, desperately seeking to stifle the cries of her shaking, quivering body. It seemed that that loss of Shinomori was taking more of a toll on her than the wolf first thought it would. But why was she acting so upset over such a man that obviously didn't deserve her affections? This confounded the detective to no end and his thoughts merely traveled around in infinite, meaningless circles, never finding the answer to his question.

And then there were her tears. Tears were things that Saito was in no way ever very good at handling, especially when it was a woman who was producing them. Misao's wretched sobs tugged at his supposedly nonexistent heartstrings and he groaned in frustration when he realized that he actually _cared_ that she was so distressed. That definitely wasn't a good thing, for now he had the sudden urge to comfort her in any way he could. What had he done when Tokio was distraught about something…?

Tokio…he hadn't thought about her in at least a day and that fact shocked him to the core. Normally the guilt would weigh him down before he forced himself to focus on other things, but this, this had been _different_, somehow. Was it – in some strange, abstract way – Misao's doing? Had her perky attitude and constantly annoying actions actually blocked his former wife from his mind, albeit for just a little while?

Saito took a deep drag from the cigarette and languidly blew the smoke into the air, a growl forming low in his throat. Bah, this was just too much. Being a bodyguard meant that one was supposed to protect a client from harm…that was all. The books stated nothing about the condition of their emotions or that the guardian was supposed to care about said emotions in any way.

…But the soft keening noises emanating from the general area of the couch weren't helping the wolf's nerves any and he ran a hand through his hair in aggravation, causing a few more ebony strands to fall back into his eyes. It was no good. He would have to do something to console the weasel, for hejust couldn't bring himself to ignore her any longer. With another groan he pushed himself from the cozy squishiness of the armchair and started for the kitchen, sighing quietly as he walked over to the fridge. What would Kondo say if he were to find the wolf committing such a caring act…?

"Hn. Probably that I'm going soft or something idiotic like that," he grumbled under his breath, searching the contents of the refrigerator with a practiced eye. Milk, cucumbers, a peach, some pieces of cheese, chocolate sauce… "…Hmm…?" He leaned forward and grasped the strangely-shaped brown bottle, pulled it from its place on the bottom shelf, and set it on the counter near the appliance. _Now…justone more thing…_The wolf straightened and reached for the freezer, deftly swung it open, and retrieved a gallon of double-chocolate ice cream from its frosty confines. _This will do nicely._

Mysteriously retrieving an ice cream scoop from places unknown, he nimbly doled out a generous amount of the stuff into a large bowl and then proceeded to half-heartedly drizzle the chocolate sauce over it. He still couldn't believe that he was doing this for the weasel. But that wasn't the worst part.

No, the worst part was that he was actually _enjoying_ it.

It felt almost good – in a twisted sort of manner, mind you, as Saito didn't particularly like Fate's sense of humorlately – to be able to comfort and protect another woman. He had failed utterly and completely with Tokio, but maybe this would be his chance to make things right again. And he despised his logic at this point. Was he truly trying to atone for his wife's untimely death? Dammit, these thoughts were getting him nowhere and there would be time for them _much_ later. He had a crying weasel to attend to.

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Misao had in no way ever felt so wretched as she did right now and the intensity of her emotions terrified her. She clutched the pillow tighter to her chest and emitted a weak sob, ignoring the way her throat contracted painfully at the outburst. She had been crying for an extremely _long_ time and it seemed as though the emptiness inside her heart would never be filled up again. Would she be forced to spend the rest of her life alone and purposeless? It just wasn't fair…didn't she deserve happiness after loving Aoshi like she had…and still did?

The itachi squeaked in surprise at the sound of an impatiently cleared throat, reluctantly released her hold on the pillow, and slowly looked up to gaze into guarded amber eyes. "…U-umm…" Saito's harsh stare was so intent that she nearly quailed beneath it. Was he going to tease her now, tell her how dim-witted and pathetic she had been to allow herself to grovel at Aoshi's feet? Surely he wasn't so cruel… "…What do you want, Saito…?" Her voice was horribly raspy and she coughed a few times to clear it.

Without a word, the wolf set the bowl of ice cream on top of the table and elegantly plopped down next to the weasel. He brought his arms behind his head, propped his feet up, and casually leaned back, making himself comfortable. "…I merely wish to impart a peace offering, nothing more. This is a…hard time for you and I want to make sure that you're all right." Dammit, that had come out wrong. He really needed work on his people skills.

Misao's heart seemed to stop and she couldn't help but blink owlishly in confusion. Just great…now her ears were rebelling against her again! _Surely_ the detective hadn't said what she _thought_ he said? The very idea of it was _preposterous_! "Wh-what was that…?" she stuttered, angrily wiping at her face to hide its redness.

"You heard me, itachi. So stop crying, eat the ice cream, and get over Shinomori because that blubbering of yours is going to drive me up a wall." Saito twitched slightly, mentally flinching at his own harsh words. Oh, if he was looking for a reaction, he would most definitely get one.

"HEY! Y-YOU JERK! I WAS _NOT_ CRYING, OKAY? I J-JUST HAD SOMETHING IN MY EYE!" As if to stubbornly contradict her flustered statement, a lone tear welled up and slowly formed a wet trail down her cheek, sparkled dazzlingly once, and fell without a sound to the light-blue carpet. The wolf watched it drop with carefully shielded emotions. To Misao, his blank expression appeared callous, and a surge of blind anger momentarily overrode her pain. "…You know what? You're just…y-you're just…heartless, Saito!" Immediately regretting her spiteful proclamation, the weasel swiftly took up the bowl and began to inhale the ice cream to avoid looking at him.

Well, that one had stung considerably. The wolf, however, wisely remained silent and simply shrugged with false indifference. "Whatever you say, itachi. I'm merely here to do my job, and nothing more. What you think of me is of no importance, nor do I particularly care." Attempting to ignore the fact that he was lying through his teeth, the wolf averted his eyes from the weasel and an awkward silence ensued.

Misao sadly finished the last of her ice cream, licked the remaining stickiness from her spoon, and shakily placed the bowl back upon the table, knowing in her heart what she had to do. Saito hadn't meant to come off as a jerk…at least, with the way he was acting now, it didn't _seem_ like it. And he was actually trying to be nice for a change. Even though he was failing quite horribly, it was touching that he was _truly_ _trying_ to _attempt_ kindness…

"U-umm…Saito? …Sorry…I-I didn't mean that…really, I d-didn't. I guess…I-I was just kinda mad, ya' know? …Please forget I said it…"

When the wolf pointedly disregarded her words, she sighed in irritated resolution. Well, if he wasn't going to forgive her without being difficult, then she'd just have to take some extreme measures!

_Baka itachi musume._ Why was trying to apologize for something that she so obviously believed to be true? It was…stupid! By the tone of her voice, he could tell that she _meant_ to say it and _had_ meant _every word_. Hn. Not that _he_ cared, of course. She was, after all, entitled to her own opinion.

Even _if_ said opinion was _exactly_ the same as Tokio's had been.

_So then it _must_ be true, ne? Look at you, you're being so pathetic over_ _some_ little girl's _trivial judgment… _

Misao slowly edged over to the wolf and grinned evilly to herself when she realized that he hadn't noticed her yet. This was certainly going to be interesting…

_"Heartless", she called you. Scary how similar they are, huh? And you're still simply terrified of hearing the truth… That's just sad. _

She carefully – _ever_ so carefully – lowered herself (but none too gracefully, sadly) into his lap and hurriedly flung her arms around him, wincing only slightly when he jerked violently in surprise. Ha! So the wolf _was_ huggable, after all! _Hey, this isn't half-bad. He's a lot warmer than he looks…_

Saito was thrown abruptly from his thoughts and into reality so fast, his head spun, and it took him a few seconds to figure out what had transpired. He snarled at the suddencuddling and glared down at the weasel-girl snuggled oh-so-happily into his chest. "What the hell, itachi! What are you _doing_?" More importantly, what was she _thinking_? Nothing, obviously, for only one without a brain would _dare_ to endeavor something such as this!

Her answer came out muffled by his shirt, but he caught it nonetheless, "What does it look like, you crazy cop? I'm hugging you and there's nothin' you can do about it!"

The wolf considered throwing her off just to prove how wrong she was, but sensibly decided against it for fear of making her cry again. "And just _why_ are you hugging me, _exactly_…?"

"…Because you wouldn't accept my apology!" Misao wrapped her arms tighter around him and buried her face his further into his torso, inhaling slightly to catch his scent. She was surprised by her own actions, and idly wondered what her _actual_ reasons for them were. Was the whole apology thing simply an excuse to hug the detective? It wasn't as though _he_ was complaining, or anything…at least, he hadn't moved a muscle, yet.

Saito growled in annoyance when he figured out that the weasel had no intention of leaving anytime soon. So now he had to settle not only for babysitting her, but he also had to be her own personal _teddy bear_? Even though the mental image that that thought brought about was quite amusing, the wolf didn't particularly like its implications. "Let go of me this instant, itachi!"

But the weasel didn't _want_ to release him. "No way! I'm staying right here, so stop griping!"

"Get. Off. Of. Me!"

Misao leisurely lifted her head from his chest and gazed at him with huge, pleading, watery blue-green eyes. "B-but…why, Saito-_san_? Please l-let me stay, just for a b-bit longer…?" She used the best whining voice she could muster and widened her eyes even more, knowing that he would cave easily beneath them. No man could stand against the puppy-dog look.

The wolf could see that she wouldn't give up until she had her way, and he angrily rubbed at his temples, mentally preparing himself for an early grave. "Fine, itachi…_fine_. You can stay, I suppose." So what if he was enjoying her closeness just a _little_ bit too much than he should be? It wasn't as though it was a crime or anything, liking a woman's touch…

"Thanks, Saito." The smile in her voice was evident and he scowled.

"…Hn. Whatever, weasel…"

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Jasmine: (Teary eyes) I am SO sorry that this is SO late! I've had an EXTREME amount of homework lately and haven't had any time to write! I apologize for that, I apologize for the shortness of this chappie, and I apologize also for the CRAPPINESS of this chappie! The next one'll be better, I promise! Well, until next time, loyal reviewers…this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off! (Everyone gets a plushie, YAY! They'll be in my bio in a day or two!)

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"


	9. Forgotten

"Chaos in the midst of chaos isn't funny, but chaos in the midst of order is." - Steve Martin

Jasmine: (Bursts into tears) …I…feel…like so much shit… (SOSOSOSOSOSO SORRY!) Goddess, I'm such an idiot.ThisJasminedoesn't own anything and here's the next chapter…

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**The Difference Between Love And Loathing - Chapter Nine: Forgotten**

(With Saito and Misao STILL on the couch, March 18, 2005...10:34 p.m.)

Before either the wolf or the weasel realized it, fifteen, twenty, and twenty-five minutes had passed and neither had released the other from their so-called "hug". Misao still lay cuddled up in Saito's lap, arms firmly wrapped around him and face buried happily into his chest, not caring that only a few hours before she had practically hated the man's guts. And, she noted with (only a small bit, mind you) glee, the detective didn't really seem to mind her presence anymore, for he hadn't told her to get off in at _least_ ten minutes, which was most _definitely_ progress in Misao's book.

_Wait, progress? Progress towards _what_, exactly?_ she thought, eyebrows knitting together with confusion. _Oh crap! This is Tae's doing, I'm sure of it! Now I'm thinking all of these creepy, disturbing thoughts because of _her_ stupid prodding!_

With a muffled swear, the weasel proceeded to push herself from the wolf's (surprisingly) warm, iron-like grasp and shakily stood up, not able to meet his amber stare. She knew that her face was probably as red as a tomato and she really didn't want to be teased about it at the moment. Curse the stupid man! This had to be _his_ fault somehow!

"Leaving so soon?" And he had been enjoying her embrace, too. …Actually, it was probably a good thing that she broke away. For the sake of his sanity, at any rate.

"…U-umm," she stuttered uncertainly, shuffled her feet, cleared her throat, and then started again. "I'm going to go get my pajamas on, o-okay? You should p-probably do the same." The thought of seeing the detective in his nightwear brought an evil smile to her lips as she turned to leave the room without waiting for a reply. While walking up the stairs, she silently went over everything that had happened since the day had begun. Aoshi-sama…was gone. That was true. But she could get him back somehow, couldn't she?

The big question was, however: did she even _want_ him back?

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Saito blinked at Misao's sudden departure, a bit disappointed despite himself. He hadn't really realized how much time had passed while they were sitting there. Alone. On the couch. **Together**.

"Dammit," he growled under his breath and shakily reached a hand up to bring it back through his hair. "I'm a stupid, idiotic ahou…" He had told himself that he wouldn't become attached to the weasel, wouldn't allow her to get too close, but she had! Despite all of his purposely-malicious comments and unkind demeanor, she had somehow weaseled her way in while he wasn't looking!

And in only two days, to boot. Within a mere forty-eight hours the stupid girl had managed to break down every barrier he had ever constructed as if they were weak displays of Popsicle-sticks and glue instead of sturdy walls made of brick and cement. No one else had ever been able to achieve what she had done in such a short amount of time, no one…not even Kondo.

With a deep, almost incredulous sigh at his realization, the detective pushed himself from the cozy confines of the couch, wearily stretched his arms above his head, and went off to locate his suitcase full of clothing.

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Misao surreptitiously held up an old, worn, pink-patterned blanket and scoffed silently to herself, unable to believe that she had ever liked such a thing. How long ago had it even been used? It smelled musty and gross and didn't look much better, either: the large magenta butterflies dotting its surface appeared too bright and happy compared to the nasty, dull shade of puke-green and faded orange stripes that marred its background like a nauseating, open wound. Certainly there was another blanket for the baka wolf _somewhere_ in her accursed house! She just had to look a bit harder…

Deftly flinging the offending coverlet to the side, the weasel proceeded to attack the contents of her bright purple-painted room with a vengeance bordering on maniacal. A tattered towel here, a pair of ripped pants there, but no blanket!

"Dammit!" Misao stood back, placed her hands firmly on her pajama-clad hips, and eyed the depths of her closet angrily. Nothing in there, either! Well, it looked as though Saito was going to have to use the nightmare-inducing blanket after all. Not that she cared, of course. In fact, why was she even trying to help the annoying bastard? Hah! Now he'd have to suffer through a night of –

"Something bugging you, weasel?"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Misao froze, resolutely clenched her fists, and stiffly turned around, not wanting to speak with the detective just yet as the early embarrassment was still a fresh injury. The sight that met her, however, caused her blue-green eyes to open wide with astonishment and all thoughts of his mockery to flee instantly from her mind like a flock of frightened pigeons from a rabid attack dog.

It seemed that the wolf's nightwear was rather, well…not as embarrassing as the weasel would have hoped. Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact.

If she hadn't been so shocked, the ninja probably would have started drooling like a fanciful schoolgirl over the poster of a hot celebrity. Her astonished gaze went up and down his form again and again, openly ogling him in spite of the little voice in her head screaming at her to remember her Aoshi-sama. Normally, a guy wearing black muscle-shirt and black drawstring pants wouldn't affect her so, but on _Saito_…

The wolf smirked lazily at the dazed look on her face and quirked an eyebrow, pleased to find another way of annoying her. "Take a picture, itachi. It'll last longer."

The weasel's cheeks flared beet-red and she opened her mouth to retort. To her horror, only a strangled-sounding squeak came out. Desperately clearing her throat, she valiantly attempted to speak again and barely succeeded in forming coherent words. "Sh-shut up!" _Oh, _real_ smooth Misao…_

Saito couldn't help but snicker as the itachi blushed even more and went back to –…what the hell was in her hands? He blinked owlishly at the alarmingly ghastly array of colors on – a blanket? Was that _thing_ a blanket? – the cloth she held and sweat dropped slightly, idly wondering what it was for. He just hoped that it had absolutely, positively, _nothing_ to do with him. "…Weasel, what's that?"

The ninja slowly followed his amber gaze and inwardly smirked at the disgust showing oh-so-clearly in his eyes. "Oh, this old thing?" She proudly held it up for him to see, displaying the horrid blanket in all of its magenta-pink-ish-butterflies-and-orange-y-stripes-with-a-puke-green-background-glory and silently reveled in his barely-discernable wince at its shear repulsiveness. "It's just your blanket for your – with any luck, short – stay here." _Ha-HAH! Revenge is sweet, isn't it, Hajime?_

He immediately deadpanned, point-blank refusing to believe her. Surely she wasn't _serious_. She just _couldn't_ be. No halfway-decent person would _ever_ attempt to give _that_ monstrosity of mismatched fabric and color to another human being! Then again, Misao wasn't really what someone would call a "polite" person. When she wanted payback, she certainly went all-out to get it. Perhaps she'd be a worthy adversary, after all. It had been a very, very long time since the wolf had had someone to test his wit against and the weasel was _certainly_ amusing. "There is no way, Makimachi, that I am going to use _that_. Hell would freeze over before I would even _touch_ it." And he meant it, too. Saito Hajime, homicide detective of the third precinct, and... big pink butterflies…just do _not_ mix. In any way, shape, or form.

"Well, it's the only blanket I have so you'll just have to _deal_ with it!"

The wolf crossed his arms over his chest and glared irately down at her, gold eyes hardening with determination. "There _must_ be another one in this huge house, weasel. What, do you never have guests over?"

"Not really," she retorted, ferociously twisting the eye-smarting material between her hands in frustration. "I live here all by myself, and when Tae _does_ comes over, she just brings her own blanket. _This_," the weasel held up the monstrously hideous coverlet. "And the covers on my own bed are all that I have. Seriously. Now, take this stupid thing before I throw it at you. Unless you want to share _my_ blankets, of course."

She had meant it as a joke, a way to piss him off, something to embarrass him.

"Fine."

And as one can probably tell, it didn't work. Or at least not in the way she had originally _intended_ it to work.

Misao made a sort of strange, unidentifiable choking noise (rather like the sound a cat makes when one accidentally treads upon its tail multiple times mixed with screeching tires) and allowed the blanket-like thing to slide from her grasp, shock temporarily turning her limbs into mushy porridge. Her mouth gaped open and she gasped like a beached fish deprived of water, desperately trying to form words in which to deny his blunt acceptance of something that she _really_ hadn't meant.

"Bu-but, I-I didn't…w-_wait_…"

Saito rolled his eyes and snickered to himself; he knew what was going through her head but couldn't miss this moment to tease her. "Get your mind out of the gutter, you stupid girl. Hn, didn't know you wanted to sleep with me that _badly_…" The smirk that graced his lips was smug and filled _entirely_ with pure, undiluted, _irritating_ male ego.

"Wh-_what_? GAH! You, y-you…hentai no baka!" She swiftly fisted a pillow on her bed and flung it as hard as she could at his face, determined to knock the stuffing out of him for saying such a disgusting thing. To her dismay, he easily plucked it out of the air and arrogantly placed it upon his _own_ bed.

"Just give me your sheet or something, weasel. Idiot…"

_Oh. So…so _that's_ what he meant by sharing…whoopsie._ "E-er, right. I knew that. H-here." Misao stalked over, furiously threw her covers aside, tugged out the sheet, and then handed it to him without daring to look at his face. In fact, the floor was quite interesting at the moment.

Her earlier blush returned with a vengeance; it seemed that the wolf had won once again. Curse him! No matter whatever she did to him, he _always_ had the upper hand! One of these days…one of these days she'd get him back even if it killed her!

Meanwhile, the wolf had plopped down on the opposite bed and was gazing about the much-too-bright room with a skeptical eye, now absolutely certain of Misao's immaturity. Anime posters decorated the lavender-colored walls, the lamp on her bedside table was in the shape of a happy-looking hot-pink rabbit, and her closet appeared as if a bomb had gone off inside it. Clothes were pouring out even as the weasel desperately tried to shove them back in; finally, she just took a great armful, threw them inside, and rapidly slammed the door behind her. Saito sweat dropped at her victorious pose.

"There! Stupid closet," she grumbled under her breath and flopped gracelessly down upon her own bed with a sigh. With a joyful exclamation, the weasel pulled her favorite stuffed animal out from under her pillow and huggled it lovingly. "Wolfie!"

The detective shook his head. "Itachi, what is _that_?"

"Huh? What's what?"

"The furry thing in your arms, you imbecile."

She glared at him and squeezed the stuffed wolf tighter to her chest. "He's not a _thing_, you jerk! He's my _Wolfie_!"

"And what –…Makimachi, are those…_weasels_ printed on your shorts?" Shorts? _What_ shorts? The skimpy, teal-colored cloth wrapped around her slim waist barely went three inches down her thighs! And her shirt – a white tank top, obviously _way_ too small for her – showed a large strip of her stomache. "Nice pajamas, itachi." Amusement was clear in his voice.

Misao reddened horribly, her glare intensifying to an almost frightening pitch. "Yeah, well, nice pajamas yourself, asshole!" And she wasn't lying, either. He _did_ look – however she loathed admitting it – pretty hot. Very hot, actually. Nearly drool-worthy, with that tight muscle-shirt showing off each and every one of –

_NO! Bad Misao, BAD! Remember your Aoshi-sama! It's _Aoshi-sama_ you love! Stop fawning over another guy, you baka! Especially since it's the _wolf _you're doing it to!_

"U-umm, ya' know what? Whatever. It's…it's late. Let's just go to sleep, okay?" And with that, the weasel abruptly flicked off her bedside light, crawled underneath her covers, and attempted to drift off, a task made extremely difficult because of the unnerving presence of a certain detective. It would most definitely take time to get used to _him_ being around…

Saito stared vacantly up at the dark ceiling, noting indolently in the back of his mind the deep, even breathing of the weasel as a sign that she had already fallen asleep. She was lucky to be able to sleep easy without worries or fears.

He hadn't taken any of his sleeping pills, he realized with a small jolt. But surely he could go without them for just one night.

After all, _one night_ couldn't hurt.

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Jasmine: …This…is another short chappie…(SAD)…I spent so much time on it, too…(Grumble grumble) Well, Lexi Teniro has some fanart for this chappie! (Big grin) Here's the linky for it: www . geocities . com / dramagrl137 / pajamapartypic . html. Just remove the spaces and be sure to visit our site, too! Wolf And Weasel, yup! Hee…'til next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier…signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see death stand behind them…"


	10. Patience

"I have fallen into an abyss. I live in a world so curious, so strange. Of the dream that was my life, this is my nightmare." - Camille Claudel (1864-1943)

Jasmine: (Sweat) Don't look at me like that! (Edges away from the accusing eyes)(Sniffle) Not my fault, I swear! It was…it was…WRITER'S BLOCK!…(Shifty eyes)…You know NOTHING. I wish I could own Rurouni Kenshin. If I did, I could do all sorts of naughty things. But I don't. And I can't. (Sigh) …Well, actually…maybe I CAN…(Evil grin)

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**The Difference Between Love And Loathing - Chapter Ten: Patience**

(With Saito and Misao in Misao's room, March 19, 2005.2:34 a.m.)

Misao awakened abruptly, blue-green eyes blearily blinking away the last remnants of a deep sleep. She hazily clutched her stuffed wolf tighter to her pajama-clad chest and confusedly tried to pinpoint the source of her rousing in the virtual pitch-blackness of her room. Neither hearing nor seeing anything amidst the shadows, she sighed with exhausted annoyance, grumbled inaudibly under her breath, and allowed her tired eyes to fall shut, nearly drifting off again when a sudden sound startled her back into awareness.

_The hell? What was that?_ she thought groggily, sitting up and tightly drawing the pale purple covers around herself protectively. Ears straining for any bit of noise, she listened hard for the sound, but to her extreme frustration, could hear nothing. Torn between ignoring it and going back to sleep and investigating the disturbance, her weary mind finally rested on the latter, seemingly more sensible plan.

Misao set Wolfie down next to her side and carefully slid from the bed, feet quickly growing cold when exposed to the cooler night air. Ignoring the chill for fear of alerting some kind of unknown attacker of her presence, she quietly crept across the carpet towards the other end of her room – Saito's side. Upon hearing the alarming noise near her she froze, fear temporary gluing her legs to the floor.

Swallowing harshly, the weasel uncertainly managed to whisper, "Sa-Saito? A-are you a-awake?" Taking the silence as a no, she slowly tiptoed over to his bed, intending to shake him awake – loathing to admit that his presence made her feel safe. She supposed that even the company of an irritating wolf was better than being terrified out of her wits.

So distracted was she with shuffling along in the darkness, she nearly screamed when her toes unexpectedly came in contact with the wooden bedside table. Biting down on her bottom lip to avoid yielding a sound, she hastily gripped the injured appendage and hopped on one foot until she reached the soft obstruction that was the detective's bed. Cursing out loud, she hissed, "Dammit Saito, wake up! I think someone's –"

"Tokio…"

A tormented murmur, enough to instantly still her annoyed rant despite its faintness. Her forehead immediately creased with worry at the sound of his labored breathing. "Umm, Saito…? You okay?" So he had been the one making all the noise after all.

With an indistinct sigh of relief at this realization, Misao released her smarting foot and hesitantly reached out to the man, unsure of what to do. He was definitely asleep, that she was certain of, but…

Hoary moonlight streamed hazily into the room from behind the dark-curtained window, bathing a small portion of the bed in a pale silver blaze. In the light of the glow, Misao could make out the wolf's troubled features: sweat dotted his forehead and ran in streams down his face, his chest rose up and down sporadically as he struggled to gasp for air, and the grip he held on the blankets was enough to turn his knuckles bright white. It was clear that he was in the clutches of a nightmare – and a terrible one at that for it to plague a man like the detective so.

The ninja gently placed a hand on his arm and shook it slightly, almost afraid to wake him as she mumbled, "Saito? C-c'mon, don't scare me like this!" This caused the opposite of the desired effect, however, for the wolf merely turned closer to her, stretched one arm out, and firmly wrapped a hand around her slender wrist. The squeak she emitted was enough to wake a neighborhood, but Saito seemed unfazed as he slumbered on.

"L-Lemme go, you jerk!" The itachi hastily abandoned all pretense of being discreet and started clawing at the offending hand, desperate to get him to release her. She quickly looked about the room, searching for a way out of her horrible predicament, and spied a half-filled glass of water sitting oh-so innocently on the bedside table. She instantly seized it and without a second thought, dumped its contents upon the unfortunate man below her.

Definitely not the best plan in the world, for if you know Newton's first law (also called the law of inertia), you should realize that objects at rest (Saito) tend to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force (the water). And since the wolf has more mass (inertia) than Misao, he is more resistant to movement while she is much more easily moved when pulled. Meaning: this should get really funny, really soon.

The water not only spilled all over Saito, oh no, it managed to cascade all over the floor as well. And, being the poor disorientated wolf that he was, he accidentally yanked down on the wrist he didn't know he was holding and caused everyone's favorite weasel to slip upon the evil liquid and fall over backwards…

"EH?"

"KYAAAAAAAAH!"

"Oomph!"

"EEEEEEEEEP!"

The next thing Misao knew, she was lying on her back on something—_someone_, rather—very warm…and very much alive.

"Itachi," a voice thick with sleep grumbled near her ear. "Get…off of me…"

Now how had this happened? Her original intentions were purely innocent in their nature – to wake the wolf up, that was all! With such a virtuous objective, how had she ended up both on top of Saito _and_ in his bed? Not that it was such a bad thing, though, for he certainly was cozy…

_Uh-oh Misao, not again! Stop these thoughts! What about Aoshi-sama?_

But, strangely,the scolding voice wasn't as loud as it usually was.

Feeling as though her throat was full of cotton, she struggled vainly to speak. Clearing her throat and swallowing before words would form, she said, "I-I think…I think I'm stuck, Saito."

A silence, and then, "_What was that, weasel?_"

Nervous laughter. "I'm…eh-heh…stuck?"

She could feel the irritation radiating off of the man below her in waves. Her desperation to get off of him before he did something rash increased two-fold. Frantically clawing at the blanket wrapped around her legs, she whimpered, "W-wait, let me see if I can get this sheet off! Hold on!"

Misao's mad struggling against him definitely wasn't helping the poor detective's mood any and he nearly groaned in frustration at her…_severely distracting_ antics. By Kami, the itachi was an idiot! "Stop squirming, you stupid girl!" He paused patiently for the order to sink then, then continued in a dangerous-sounding voice, "Now, _calmly_ unwrap yourself and get out of my sight, weasel! Waking up to this certainly isn't my idea of a 'good night's' sleep." Never mind that he was enjoying it much more than he should be.

"Sh-shut up, you jackass! I-it won't come undone! If you want me to get away from you so badly, help me get this stupid blanket off!" She hissed, tugging fruitlessly at the cloth binding her legs together. How had _this_ happened? Surely a mere fall onto the bed couldn't have gotten her into such a horrendous dilemma! It was obvious that:

A) Kami hated her.

B) Her luck was absolutely, positively, without a doubt…nonexistent.

And C) Fate was cruel.

Saito ran a hand back through his hair and emitted a long-suffering sigh. "Fine, you annoying creature! Move over a bit so I can reach you!" He waited while she wriggled to the side before attacking the sheet with a vengeance. The sooner he got it off of her, the sooner she would leave him in peace!

The weasel vehemently forced herself to concentrate on anything _but_ what the wolf was doing. The very last thing she needed was to take notice of the sense of his hands on her legs…

She felt her face heat up and was instantly glad for the darkness. _Not good, not good! No focusing on that! Bad Misao, bad!_

But she couldn't _help_ thinking about it! It wasn't something one could ignore easily. After all, this wasn't something that happened to her everyday.

She needed to get off of him. _Now_.

"S-Saito, I think I-I can move now, thanks for your, ah, assistance!" Without further ado, the itachi pushed his still-busy hands away from her, propelled herself to her feet, and went to take a step off the bed, but…

She hadn't waited for him to completely unwrap the sheet from her. And, because of this, her legs stayed stuck together and when she went to take that _step_…

Can you say, "London Bridge is falling down"? Because it certainly is. Well, not literally. But I think you get it. For poor Misao had accidentally repeated her earlier action—

"EH?"

"KYAAAAAAAAH!"

"Oomph!"

"EEEEEEEEEP!"

—and toppled back down upon the unsuspecting (and now thoroughly squished) detective.

Except that this time, she spun in midair in a feeble attempt at saving herself from humiliation. This—while not working in the _least_ to aid her—_did_ manage to land her in a much more undignified and embarrassing manner. Chest-to-chest with the wolf certainly qualifies as "undignified" and "embarrassing", don't you agree?

Misao had honestly never been more mortified in her life. She had never been this close to a male before, either. It was proving to be quite the experience for her. Now, if only she could calm her raging heartbeat enough to speak.

The man beneath her, meanwhile, was beginning to think that Kami had it out for him. Surely only divine punishment could bring something _this_ horrible into his life.

Ignoring the pounding of his own heart, the wolf took a deep breath and growled, "How is it that your stupidity has exceeded even _my_ expectations, weasel? Get off me!"

A mumbled reply came a few seconds later, "I would if I could, believe me. I'm stuck again." It didn't help that her face was buried into his shirt, but he caught it nonetheless.

Disregarding his need to hit something, Saito grit his teeth and stated in a deceptively calm voice, "Itachi, you're an idiot."

"Don't you think I know that already? Declaring the obvious isn't helping, jerk."

"You do realize that I could push you off the bed and merely forget about you, hmm? I don't _need_ a blanket," he said, voice filled with sarcasm.

Misao raised her face from his extremely warm chest and glared furiously at him, ocean-green eyes smoldering with barely-suppressed rage. "You wouldn't!"

The wolf smirked down at her, his own amber eyes cold and full of promise. "I would."

"_You wouldn't_!"

"I would," he affirmed smugly, almost daring her to say otherwise.

She watched with horror as his smirk widened evilly. The horrible man was serious! Damn him! "Well, fine then Mister I-know-everything-because-I-think-I'm-so-superior-but-really-know-nothing-because-I'm-a-jackass, do you have any bright ideas on how to get us out of this mess?"

He quirked an eyebrow down at her in amusement. Nothing was more fun than working Misao into a tizzy. "Now that you mention it, itachi…"

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When looking back at it later, Saito would curse this night over and over and over again, mentally blaming his own sheer stupidity on its (what he considered) disastrously horrible outcome. Who was he to know that the events that transpired would end up inexplicably bringing him closer to Misao, thus firmly tying her to his heart where she might never—and probably would never—release him? Who was he to deny the insatiable pull he had developed towards the little weasel in their short time together? For—despite his stubborn resistance—it seemed inevitable that something like this would happen to shove them even nearer to one another.

Fate (the bastard) seems to have many devious plans.

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Jasmine: I am so horribly sorry for this being late. Homework, laziness, writer's block, EVERYTHING brought me down. But I have succeeded! Sorry for any mistakes in this chappie, guys. I'm posting it REALLY fast so I can get it to you. And this reviewer response thing shall be fun! Finally FF has done something RIGHT! Well, until next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them."


	11. Haze

"When things are perfect, that's when you need to worry most." - Drew Barrymore

Jasmine: …(Sweat drop)(Tears) Please forgive me, I am an idiot. I know I haven't updated. I'M -SORRY-, OKAY? (Sob) …And I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Goddess knows what I would do if I did.

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**The Difference Between Love And Loathing** **- Chapter Eleven: Haze**

_-One week later-_

(With Saito and Misao in downtown Tokyo, March 26, 2005.11:34 a.m.)

What had once started out as a normal, fairly bright, sunny day now was turning into quite a horrid mess for everyone's favorite wolf and weasel. The clouds that hung languidly in the slate-gray sky were dark and bloated with precipitation and unleashing their fury upon passersby below. The rain fell in unforgiving torrents, thus thoroughly soaking the hapless shoppers wandering aimlessly around downtown Tokyo. This included our protagonists, only one of which was wearing a jacket. The other, the poor thing, was clad in only a white button-down shirt and black jeans; not the best attire for such a dismal day.

I bet you can guess who that was.

"Carry your own bags, weasel. There's no way in hell I'm going to carry them for you."

"But you're my bodyguard, you jerk! Aren't you supposed to, you know, guard my body? That means guarding it from physical strain, too!"

The tone of his voice held unspoken threats of dismemberment if she refused to shut up soon, "Listen carefully, _Misao_: I am your _bodyguard_, not your servant. Didn't we make this clear when you ordered me to make you onigiri yesterday?"

She crossed her arms, inwardly grinning triumphantly. "And they were delicious, thanks muchly."

An irritated growl was the only warning she had before she was pushed none-too-gently into the nearest brick wall, Saito's face barely inches away from hers and looking _quite_ ticked off (to put it lightly). "Okay, itachi, how's this for guarding, hmm?" He leaned closer and pressed his body nearer to hers, amber eyes narrowing into slits. "Good enough for you?"

It took all of Misao's willpower to avoid shrinking before his heated glare. Despite her fight to suppress it, however, a rosy blush crept traitorously across her cheeks at his close proximity. Heartbeat thundering in her ears, she vainly shoved at his shoulders and squeaked, "Ge-get offa me, you behemoth! People're s-staring!"

A low chuckle, and then, "You think I care if they're staring, Misao? Let them watch all they want."

She didn't trust the dangerous-looking smirk he was sporting anymore than she trusted Tae's boyfriend advice.

"W-well _I_ care, all right? Now m-move, dammit!" Misao furiously slammed her fists into his chest again and again, growing more and more peeved when he remained unmoved. "Annoying bastard, let g—!"

Before the weasel had time to blink, her wrists were suddenly grabbed in an unbreakable hold, wrenched away from the wolf's shoulders, and tightly pinned down by her sides. She looked up in surprise, ready to give him a piece of her mind, only to see that Saito's mouth was mere centimeters from her own, causing her pulse to increase even more rapidly than before. Her breath caught in her throat and her struggles waned immediately, blue-green eyes widening with the sudden feeling of being crushed into his chest. Heart throbbing feverishly against her ribcage (she was absolutely, positively sure that he could feel it), the weasel fought to come up with something, _anything_ to say, but was at a complete and utter loss for words.

"Something wrong, _Misao_?" he growled deeply into her ear, further causing the poor girl to melt into his arms. She was sure that she would be a puddle on the sidewalk if he wasn't holding her up.

"A-ah, I…w-well, I just," she stuttered, gaze locked firmly onto his mouth._ K-Kami-sama, is he gonna kiss me? Better question: do I _want_ him to kiss me?_, her thoughts warred with one another, both sides furiously trying to come up with all the reasons she both desperately wanted said kissage and, in turn, abhorred the very idea with a passion. "U-uhh…"

Saito's smirk widened, causing the girl to fidget even more. "'Uhh'?" Of _course_ he didn't plan on kissing her. It was just so easy (not to mention fun) to rile her up; plus, this would double as a warning for her to stop annoying him—something that normal people wouldn't dare to attempt. Misao, however, wasn't included in that group.

The weasel tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, but was a bit distracted by a droplet of water sliding down the wolf's cheek. Almost as if in a trance, she managed to twist one of her hands free from Saito's relaxed grip and slowly brought it up to rest against his face, wiping away the raindrop in the process. Something seemed to spark in those amber eyes of his, and she was suddenly afraid that she'd crossed some sort of invisible line.

She heard him make some sort of exclamation and move to pull away. Before he could, however, Misao opened her mouth to speak, voice quiet, yet firm, "Sai—"

The weasel was abruptly cut off when the wolf suddenly lurched forward, surprise clearly written all over his features as a man accidentally knocked into his back from behind. Lips slamming into and thus locking firmly with the weasel's, Saito was momentarily thrown for a complete and utter loop by this new and thoroughly disturbing turn of events.

"Oh, sorry!" The jogger called out without a backwards glance, disappearing around the street corner before he saw what he had done.

Blue-green eyes as huge as saucers, Misao barely managed to grip the lapels of Saito's leather jacket before she drifted off into a sea of feelings, fearing that if she dared to let go…she would surely be lost forever. All thoughts of the outside world drifted off until only she and the wolf were left alone, Tokyo melting off into the distance behind them.

The milliseconds ticked by like hours, the seconds like days, the minutes like years. Misao felt that if the— was it a kiss? — didn't end soon, she would without doubt implode from the inside, consumed by the flames and fireworks erupting through her chest. And dimly, way back in the very recesses of her mind, Misao was aware of the reality that it was not in fact Aoshi who was kissing her. No …this man was not Aoshi at all, no matter how hard she tried to pretend otherwise.

Finally, _finally_, the wolf managed to break the kiss and turn his head away, frowning harshly in haze-induced confusion. He heard Misao make a small noise of protest and he glanced down at her emotionlessly, amber eyes nearly hidden behind sodden bangs. Suddenly angry at his lack of self-control, he fought back the fog in his mind and took a few steps away from the stunned weasel.

Before her brain was properly ready for any attempt at thinking, Misao hesitantly spoke again, "H-Hajime…"

The wolf abruptly started off down the street, agitatedly searched his pockets for a fresh pack of cigarettes, and yelled back over his shoulder, "Grab your bags and hurry up, weasel. I want to get this damned shopping done!"

Viciously thrown from her stupor at the sound of his voice, Misao's knees finally gave out, and she slid slowly down the damp wall to come to a stop on the wet sidewalk. Ignoring the chill on her back and the water seeping through her pants, mind spinning with sensation, the weasel hesitantly touched her lips, awe written visibly across her face.

It had been an accident, that was all. Saito had been pushed into her. Really. Neither meant for that kiss to happen. And it wasn't a _real_ kiss, anyway! Just…just a simple brushing of the lips! _Even though that wasn't really brushing, Misao_, a little voice whispered inside her head. _That was more like CRUSHING! He didn't even try to pull away, and you know it! Of course, you didn't either, now did you? Hee, hee, hee! Maybe Tae wasn't as far off as you would like to think, huh?_

"Hurry up, weasel! I don't want this to take all day!"

"M-MEEP! C-coming, wolf!" Immediately shaking off her stomach-churning thoughts, Misao gathered up her dropped shopping bags and hurried off after the man, furiously fighting off a blush as she went.

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The girl was taking far too long to buy a simple gallon of milk. Honestly, was it really that difficult to decide between whole and skim? Was there _even_ an actual difference between them?

"Hmm, I should probably lay off the whole for awhile. I think I'm gaining too much weight…"

He would have sighed, but it seemed as though he was past the point of complete and utter frustration. Shopping was always an easy affair for him: make a list, drive to the store, and get whatever it was he needed. He was in and out in five minutes, tops. _Misao_, on the other hand…

"But skim tastes so gross! It's practically water! AND it's absolutely no good for chocolate milk!"

A growl tore free from Saito's throat. "Why don't you just buy _both_, weasel?"

"Well, wolf, what the hell am I gonna to do with two gallons of milk, huh?" she retorted, arms crossed firmly across her chest. "It's not like _you'll_ drink it! I don't really see you as a milk-drinking kind of guy!"

Another growl sounded, closely followed by the hiss of a cigarette being lit. "Then hurry up and pick one, you little moron. I don't intend on spending all day in this accursed place with you."

Misao's eyes caught fire with rage. "HEY! Why you...you…YOU BEHEMOTH OF A JERK! JACKASS OF ALL JACKASSES, KING OF CREEPS, RULER OF MEANIES, BIG-HEADED _BRUTE_!"

Well now, this certainly was amusing. "I'm pleased you've discovered another plethora of insults, weasel. Please, go on."

Who was she to deny? This time, she would give the man a piece of her mind! "You know what _you_ are, Saito? You're just a high and mighty bastard, unable to figure out that there _are_ other people in the world besides _yourself_, you self-absorbed _slimeball_! You don't care about anything or anyone because you're an insufferable, intolerable, impossible, HEARTLESS DEMON! I can't imagine _anybody_ wanting to stay with you for more than five seconds because you're such a…a… a patronizing beast! In fact, it should be _me_ saying that I don't want to spend all day with _you_, instead of the other way around! I HATE YOU, DAMMIT!"

Without waiting for what she was certain would be a scathing reply, Misao furiously spun on her heels and took off out of the store and into the stormy world beyond it.

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Misao sat glumly in the protected refuge of a deserted alleyway, grumbling slightly to herself at the dampness of her hair and clothes. The rain hadn't yet let up. It was starting to get dark out, and with the departure of the sun, all traces of warmth left in Tokyo decided to leave with it. Soaked to the bone, she silently cursed herself for not stealing Saito's jacket before she ran off.

This was his entire fault. The nerve of him, saying that to her! He had absolutely no right at all!

_And who does he think he is, anyway, acting like I'm a horrible person to be around? At least I'm nice, unlike him! He deserved all I told him and more! …So why am I feeling so guilty about it, dammit?_

_Perhaps "heartless demon" was going a bit overboard, Misao. _

_No, he most definitely is one! Ever since that kiss we shared, he's been such a bastard to me! He can go and die for all I care! _

_But that wasn't really a kiss, and you know it. _

_…Oh, shut up._

She looked up in surprise when the sound of rain-muffled footsteps reached her ears. _Dammit, he must have found me!_ "Hey, you jerk, what're you doing back here?" she snapped angrily, refusing to turn around.

But it wasn't the cop who was standing behind her with the gleaming, very deadly-looking knife.

Now this was just getting freaky. Why wasn't he saying anything? Misao felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and she suddenly knew that something was wrong. DEADLY wrong. And when she _did_ turn around to demand he say something, _anything_, all the new insults she had imagined immediately died on her tongue and flew out of her head in favor of one short phrase: "Oh SHIT."

The man standing before her was definitely not Saito in any way, shape, or form. Greasy hair so dirty it was nearly colored black touched his shoulders. The brown jacket he was sporting was worn, frayed at the edges, and was nearly falling apart at the seams. His face was so scarred…it was hard to tell if he even had a nose in the first place. Misao took all of this in with one glance, and immediately deduced that this was a person she _really_ didn't want to be around.

She slowly got to her feet, blue-green eyes never leaving the man's oily black ones, and calmly questioned, "What do you want?"

"You." Clear, concise, and to the point.

Well, that was certainly blunt. "I really don't think you're gonna wanna do this, sir. I know how ta' protect myself from scum like you." _Not to mention the fact that I have a bodyguard…_

…_A bodyguard that I ran away from and probably doesn't know where the hell I am. Dammit. Eh, looks like I'll just hafta deal with this myself, then. Fine. _

Dropping back into a ninjitsu fighting stance, Misao eyed her opponent's gleaming weapon warily. Fighting an enemy with a knife wasn't _horribly_ difficult; her sensei had taught her many ways to disarm a person. This would be easy as pie!

"C'mon, you jerk! I'm ready for ya'!" Taking a quick step backwards, the weasel shrieked abruptly when her foot fell into a rather large hole, throwing her completely off balance and sending her toppling to the cold, hard ground. Groaning as pain flared up her ankle, she cursed under her breath and clutched at it, mentally screaming at her own stupidity. _Oh _hell_ no! I am SO screwed…Misao, you IMBECILE! NOW what're you gonna do, huh?_

The man blinked, completely baffled at his sudden luck. "Heh. Looks like I didn't need ta' do anythin' after all, huh? Your luck kinda sucks, girl."

Tears of pain sparkled at the edges of her eyes. She ground her teeth together as a burst of anger erupted through her veins. Her retort was quick in coming, "Sh-shut up, jackass!" She furiously pushed against the ground and stood painfully, trembling as her ankle protested viciously against her movements. "W-we're not done yet, dammit! I'm not some weak little damsel in distress, ALL RIGHT?" she screamed, an anger mark pulsing wildly on her forehead.

"All right, all right, jeeze. Don't get your frilly underwear in a bunch, girl."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT WAS THAT? YOU'RE _DEAD_, BAS—!"

Misao's ankle gave out without warning and her knees rushed down to meet the pavement with a dull thud. She quickly flung her hand over her mouth to stifle a cry of agony. "…O-oh shit…not good…" she mumbled, wiping furiously at the wetness on her cheeks. Her eyes widened when the man started walking towards her, a laughing grin spread wide across his face.

"I promise to make this as quick and painless as I can, just as long as you don't scream. HEH."

The sound of a match being struck and a low chuckle startled the both of them, causing Misao to squeak embarrassingly in surprise.

"Dear KAMI, weasel. I can't leave you alone for five minutes without you getting into some sort of trouble, can I?" The amusement in the jerk's voice was palpable. "Do you need some help? I'll only step in if you ask _nicely_…"

Inner-Misao told Saito to burn in Hell, but her more sensible side took over. Swallowing her pride, the itachi managed to grumble, "Yeah, I could use some help, cop. You are, after all, my bodyguard. Just hurry up and beat this guy, okay? It's freaking cold out and I wanna get home."

Gray smoke billowed lazily into the air. "As you wish, _Misao_." The cigarette drifted to the concrete and was ground out by a well-polished boot. A feral, wolfish grin was directed towards the greasy-haired man. "Hn. Looks like you picked the wrong woman to mess with, ahou. Oh well. More fun for me, then. I haven't beaten up an idiot in quite some time."

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Jasmine: (Tears) Yes, I know it ended badly. Yes, I know it's a sucky piece o' shit of a cliffy. But I wanted to get this out NOW, no matter HOW BAD it is. Special thanks to Lexi-chan for helping me with the insults and pre-fight scene. (Grins) LOVE YA'! Until next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jazzy Reinier, signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them."


	12. Battle

"_Dragging me down,  
I try to keep myself from sinking.  
Without a sound, I scream in silence,  
I stop all breathing.  
You fight for it and live for it, then it lets you down,  
Fight for life and it's all I see.  
Fight for life until it's through with me…_" – _Fight For Life_, Soil

Jazzy: I sincerely do not have words to explain the reason for this chappie's lateness. A mixture of school, drawing during my little free time, vacation, and awesome videogames prevented me from doing the writing I should have been doing. Know this, however: I will not stop this ficcie until it is complete. You have my word. Oh, and I own nothing.

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The Difference Between Love and Loathing – Chapter Twelve: Battle

(With Saito and Misao in downtown Tokyo, March 26, 2005…9:53 p.m.)

The odds had certainly turned against him, yet Saito showed no immediate signs of faltering. To Misao, the cop appeared almost like a wraith in the nearly pitch-blackness of the alleyway as he easily fought off a group – since the first guy apparently had buddies with him – of five men. Watching the fight like a hawk and silently cheering him on, the weasel hesitantly reached for her fallen purse, being extra careful to avoid alerting any of the others of her presence. With a whispered, "Damn, I hope it's in here…", she hurriedly unzipped the small bag and reached inside, hand scrabbling frantically for the cell phone she prayed was there.

Said hand met a plastic tube of lipstick, a compact containing her favorite azure-blue eye shadow, a wad of crumpled tissues, and an empty packet of gum before her fingers managed to close over the familiar shape of her phone. She pulled it out triumphantly, flipped it open, and was nearly done dialing the last number for 911 before she saw the words, "OUT OF SERVICE" written like a curse upon the top-left corner of the tiny screen.

Misao angrily threw the useless thing back into her purse and proceeded to tear her hair out in frustration. Relying on Saito seemed to be the only way out of her current predicament. She would just have to trust in his fighting prowess.

She sighed.

_I'm so dead. _

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Stopping for a second to catch his breath, Saito pushed his sopping wet hair away from his eyes and smirked wolfishly at his opponents, mentally laughing at the terrified looks on their faces. He had long since tossed his jacket to the side (as he couldn't have it impeding his movement), and was completely soaked through from top to bottom by the never-ending torrent of rain. But he could neither feel the water nor the cold, for the taste of battle had caused his blood to heat up past the point of caring.

"Scared?" His smirk widened as his opponents shook their heads wildly. "No? Heh. Bakas. You really should be," the cop reached into his pocket and pulled out another cigarette. "You're lucky I don't have my badge on me. I'd throw each and every one of your asses straight into jail without batting an eyelash."

One of the boys made a small exclamation and took a step backwards. "Wh-what? Hold on, this guy's a cop? Hisoki, you never said anything about _cops _when you made us do this with you!" he piped up, nervously wringing his hands. "I-I want out! I'm leaving!"

"Why, you little--! You can't back out on me, now!"

"I-I'm going, too! There's no way I'm going to jail, Hisoki!"

"Teraku, as soon as we get home, I'll--"

Saito shook his head and languidly lit his cigarette. He tuned out the sounds of arguing in the background and waited for it to die down before he began his piece. "SHUT. UP," chucking at the sudden silence and languorously leaning back against the damp concrete wall, the wolf stated, voice dripping with sarcasm, "You're all going to jail anyway, morons. Through your own stupidity, I now know all of your names."

The one named Hisoki stared at Saito incredulously, but couldn't manage to hide his fear. His shirt was sticky with sweat and clung to his back like a second-skin. "Wh-what? Prove it!"

Saito straightened, and pointed to each boy in turn, "Hisoki. Teraku. Juro. Keiji. And, last but not least, Taku."

Horrified, they started to back away from the cop, demeanors not unlike terrified rabbits ready to bolt from a hungry predator – namely, a wolf.

"Running won't work, either. I've seen your faces; I know _exactly _what you look like. I can find you just like that," he snapped a finger. "So? What are you going to do? You're running out of options, and the clock is ticking…"

Damn, he loved his job.

He caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye, and inwardly chuckled. Some idiots were just too predictable.

Clearly expecting the sudden attack, Saito swiftly dodged a powerful, yet obviously unskilled uppercut, wrapped a hand around the offending arm, and twisted it until he heard a groan of pain.

"Now, now, that wasn't very nice," he declared condescendingly. Ruthlessly, he suddenly spun the petrified boy around and shoved him head-first into the opposite wall, hard enough to knock him unconscious. Keiji groaned, staggered backwards, and dropped limply to the wet cement. "Well. One down, four to go." The cop turned to the remaining boys, and blew a cloud of slate-grey smoke into the damp air. He grinned. "Honestly, one would think you would have the sense to attack me all at once, instead of foolishly going at it alone, like that idiot."

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Misao bit down on her fist to keep from crying out. She immediately stopped trying to move her ankle and patiently waited for the pain to die down. Rainwater lethargically dripped down the back of her neck, but she paid it no heed.

"--instead of foolishly going at it alone, like that idiot."

At the sound of pounding feet, the weasel looked up, stunned, and just a little (very little, mind you) bit worried to see the remaining four guys ganging up on the lone wolf, looking ready to commit murder even with the knowledge of the man being a cop.

She wasn't concerned for long, however, for Saito appeared to be a much better fighter than she had originally given him credit for.

Blue-green eyes, glued firmly to the form of the detective, widened in awe.

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Saito wiped away a smear of blood from his cut lip and smirked, reveling in the thrill of the fight. He swiftly blocked a kick to the side of his head and lunged forward with a punch to Hisoki's startled face, smirking predatorily when it connected with his opponent's jaw. With a strangled yelp of pain, the man dropped the knife that was clenched in his fist and staggered backwards, cupping his now bleeding mouth. He glared and retreated into the shadows of the alleyway.

The detective suddenly whirled around and unleashed a spinning hook-kick to midsection of the one who dared to sneak up behind him. Teraku sunk to his knees, clutched his injured stomach, and gasped for air. Saito stepped back into a stance with his right arm straight out in front of him and his left firmly at his side. He sneered. "Next? Come now, bakas, you're just wasting my time. I was hoping for a _little_ challenge, at least."

Juro and Taku, the only two remaining, looked to each other uncertainly. They knew that if they ran, they'd eventually be caught. But if they fought with the police officer, they would surely lose just as fast as the other three. None of them had had any martial arts training whatsoever, while it was clear that the amber-eyed man was a master in at least one of them. Turning themselves in seemed to be the most logical choice.

Juro, however, wasn't the logical type. He gritted his teeth, rolled up his sleeves, and suddenly charged at the waiting wolf, fully believing that he could take him down if he could only get one hit in.

Thus, he never saw the attack coming until it was too late.

With a sickening crunch, he ran straight into the detective's patented strike, a move he had affectionately dubbed _Gatotsu_, and fell to the cold, hard cement, groaning softly. Saito stepped back from Juro's unmoving form, took a drag from his cigarette, and turned his eyes to his remaining opponent.

Taku, now utterly alone, whimpered and slumped to the ground, more frightened than he'd ever been in his life. "I-I give up, just…don't hurt me, please…"

The wolf snorted and rolled his eyes. "Hn, pathetic. What a worthless fight. I might as well –"

"KYAAAAAAAAH!"

Saito turned, startled at the sound of a high-pitched feminine yell.

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Misao screamed as large, heavy hands fell across her throat from behind, successfully choking off her air. She struggled against the bruising hold, desperate to break herself free. With instincts spawned from her years taking ninjitsu, she thrust her elbow backwards towards what she hoped was the groin area, and smiled when she heard a masculine grunt followed by a string of curses. The grip loosened. She attacked.

"TAKE THIS, YOU JERK! KYAAAAAAAAH!" Spinning slightly on her good ankle to gain leverage from her sitting position, Misao angrily grabbed at her attacker's flailing wrist, fiercely twisted it backwards, and flung the stunned man over her shoulder, where he landed chest-first against the wet ground with an ear-piercing crash.

Adrenaline was pumping like fire through her veins; her heart beat furiously in her chest. Breathing hard, she wrapped her arms around herself and wiped sopping-wet bangs from her forehead. Grimacing, she looked up towards the wolf. Anger flared in the pit of her stomach when she noticed that he seemed to be chuckling at her.

"And what, pray tell, is so funny, huh? I coulda died, ya' know!" Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Saito didn't seem to notice, however. Either that, or he just didn't care. "I sincerely doubt that this –" he carelessly nudged Hisoki's form with his foot, "could have killed you, weasel. You certainly appear to be capable of handling yourself." Amusement colored his tone.

She scowled. "Oh, feh! Some bodyguard _you_ are! Just arrest these bastards and help me up already, you jerk."

Gray smoke permeated the air as he took another drag from his cigarette. "I cannot arrest them myself, weasel. I'll take you home first and then contact Okita to come and get them." He glanced back at the sobbing figure that was the boy named Taku, frowned, and strolled over to Misao.

"Why can't _you_ arrest them?" She didn't bother asking who Okita was. The detective probably wouldn't tell her, anyway.

"Because when I was assigned to you, Kondo took away my badge. I am, after all, on '_vacation'_."

Misao thought she heard a tiny bit of underlying annoyance in his voice, but wisely refused to say anything about it. She was, however, barely able to hide a wince when he started to lift her from the ground. "Ack, be careful. I think I might have sprained my ankle," she bit down harshly on her bottom lip to keep herself from yelping. "I-I think I can walk, though, but not without help."

Saito slowly set her back on her feet, allowing her to lean her full weight against his side so she wouldn't topple back to the cement. "Are you sure?" He raised an eyebrow.

She screwed her eyes shut and fisted his shirt, taking slow, even breaths to ride out the pain. Nodding slightly, she managed, "Y-yeah, positive."

"Well, if you're certain," once again returning his gaze to Taku, he stated, "Boy, I'll trust you'll still be here when the police arrive." His voice was cold, holding absolutely no sympathy for the pathetic creature he was addressing.

Taku was nearly hysterical at this point. The detective was positively terrifying. "Y-yes, yes, of course I will. Heh heh, why wouldn't I? Absolutely."

Eyes narrowing, Saito growled slightly at the boy's babbling. "If you aren't, believe me when I say that I will know, and I will find you. Now, weasel, let me see if I can get you out of here, hmm?"

Misao glared at him. "Gee, don't sound so excited, wolf. And don't you dare forget my bags! And this time, you'll hafta carry them! So nyaah!" She petulantly stuck her tongue out at him.

He sighed. "Hn. Joy."

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Jazzy: (Screaming) Gah, the POV switch and the shortness proves how tired I am. I'm so sorry that this chappie was so horribly pathetic. I'm even sorrier for the constant POV switching! And...the fight scene...the horrible fight scene...(Sigh) I hope that you stay with me, for next chappie'll be much better, I can assure you! Well, until next time (a shorter next time), loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them."


	13. Tension

"_The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire._" – Ferdinand Foch

Jazzy: This whole late-thing is really starting to become a usual thing, isn't it? Wow. I fail. Oh well, here's the next chappie! But the only way to find it is by using a metal-detector, a few sticks of dynamite, and an attack poodle with purple fur. (Grins) Hope you find it soon! Toodles!

Lexi: Oi! Lexi Teniro here. I'll be guest-writing the latter 1500 or so words of this chapter. Jazzy and I both had writer's block, so I suggested we switch fics for a chapter (you can read her guest writing in Morning Roses). Without further ado, onto the chapter!

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The Difference Between Love and Loathing – Chapter Thirteen: Tension

Nothing could have prepared her for a situation quite like the one she was currently in. No one had ever told her how to act or what to do or what to say. Hell, she didn't even know how to breathe correctly around him. Breathing was something that was normally very easily done; in and out, in and out, the rhythm was quite simple. When she was near him as she was now, however, she didn't know her ups from her downs, let alone the relatively uncomplicated concept of in and out.

He held her tightly to him as he firmly steered her towards the car, tight enough so if her legs _did_ give out, he could catch her before she broke her skull on the pavement. Misao felt her cheeks redden at the very thought. It didn't help matters any when he silently draped his coat over her shoulders when she shivered – cold? Was she cold? – against him. He was just too warm, and it was just too chilly outside, what with the icy temperature and the never-ending stream of rain. She exerted her limited self-control to avoid snuggling into his side – no, she couldn't do that, it would be far too embarrassing, far too intimate, and far too, well, disturbing.

Her ankle throbbed in time with her steady heartbeats. The slow thrum of pain was furiously pushed to the recesses of her mind as she hobbled her way to her vehicle. There were far better things to concentrate on. In fact, she firmly believed that if she ignored the pain, it would go away. Misao-logic always worked, no matter what anyone else said.

Vaguely, she wondered how she had gotten into this mess in the first place. It was obviously Saito's fault. No, scratch that, it was the Akuma's fault. If the copycat murderer hadn't singled her out – after all, how many billions of other women were there in the world? – none of this would have happened. She would never have needed a bodyguard, she never would have met Saito, she never would have embarrassed herself by falling all over him on that night she refused to believe existed, she never would have gotten attacked by a group of deranged men, and she never would be where she was now, her ankle flaming, her body shuddering in the rain, and her cheeks bright red from his close proximity, depending solely on him to not drop her to the unforgiving ground.

Oh, and she probably wouldn't be feeling the strange emotions she was, to her horror, currently feeling. They were unnerving, to say the least, and she was starting to fear that she was beginning to accept them.

Frowning slightly, Misao hesitantly leaned less weight on Saito and more weight upon her bad ankle, and swore violently when her leg crumpled beneath her. She felt – with some measure of relief – Saito yank her back up to a standing position.

He chuckled wryly into her ear, causing her to shiver. "Language, weasel, language."

She snarled up at her rescuer, bristling at his condescending tone. "I can swear if I damn well want to, you lousy wolf!"

Rolling his eyes, Saito replied with a short, "Whatever" and continued dragging her along. Inwardly, she fumed. A long silence ensued, one that neither dared to break. Until Misao rudely cleared her throat, that is.

"Do you even realize how utterly stupid this whole thing is?"

Saito didn't bother to look down at her. "What, you getting into a fight with a bunch of brats, or you tripping in a little hole and twisting your ankle? The latter, I might add, is what is forcing me to carry you like a rag doll, weasel."

She smacked him on the arm. "Neither, you jerk! I meant this _whole_ thing! As in, everything! Ever since that stupid day when I got that stupid note from the stupid Akuma, my life has slowly been on the fast track to hell! I mean, really, being stuck with _you_ for over a week has been bad enough, but –"

He interrupted her with a growl. "Don't sound like such a martyr, _Misao_. These days haven't exactly been the best for me, either, but do you hear me complaining?"

"You have no idea! You're a _cop_, what would _you_ know about _normal people's_ lives, huh? While you were wallowing knee-deep in blood and death, did you ever _once_ think about the life of the person you were unable to save from some sick psychopath? Did you? And the next dead person you cut upon and examine with careless eyes could very well be _me_!"

His lupine eyes narrowed fractionally, and she could see hardly controlled anger in their depths. "You haven't witnessed what I've witnessed, weasel. You will never be able to fathom what it's like to 'wallow knee-deep in blood and death', as you so beautifully put it. You haven't a clue as to what goes on in an investigation, do you? You don't know how deep a detective must go to uncover the truth. So many people get put in danger, so many innocents get lost along the way, and there is really nothing the police department can do except wait and hope that some sort of clue comes along and smacks them in the face."

She gaped at him for a moment, not having expected a serious answer to her taunt. Failing to find a response, she bit her lip and stared at the ground, focusing on her breathing. In and out…in and out…if she didn't think about him, or how warm he was, or how guilty she felt, she could cope fairly well. They were silent for the final few steps to the car. When he helped her into the front passenger seat, she barely managed a muttered thank you.

Rain pattered on the windshield in place of mindless chatter. Misao stared at the droplets running down her window, trying to see out but knowing there was nothing there but more rain. She morosely wondered if there was some sort of metaphor there about her life, but knew it wasn't true. If she looked hard enough past the rain, she knew there would be a rainbow there. There always was before, so there would be this time, too. Misao-logic strikes again.

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"H-hey, what are you doing?" Misao spluttered, wriggling violently as Saito slipped his arms under her to pick her up.

"There are steps," he stated by way of answer, carrying her up them to the front door. He stood patiently under the edge of the roof, just out of the rain, mentally smirking at the lovely shade of red the girl in his arms was.

She glared at him, roughly the color of a tomato. "What are you waiting for, numbskull? Get me inside and put me down!"

He allowed the smirk to slip out. "I'm afraid I can't do that, weasel."

Her eyes widened slightly, and her right eyebrow twitched. "What do you mean, you jerk?"

Slowly he lowered his lips to her ear, brushing gently along the lobe to whisper breathily into it. "Exactly what I said. I can't get you inside."

If it was possible for her to get any redder, it happened. "EH? Wh-what are you talking about?"

He smirked, holding back a chuckle. It was obvious that she was going to get very irritated when he told precisely what he WAS talking about. …Therefore, he should tell her as soon as possible. His warm breath caressed her ear and cheek, eliciting a little shiver from her before he pulled back to raise an eyebrow at her flushed face. "Why, weasel, isn't it obvious…? You have the only key…"

Misao's eyes widened again then set into a determined glare. "Hmph." She dug in her purse for a moment (not an easy task, considering her position), before dropping it sullenly into his open hand near her shoulder.

Saito chuckled lightly, shifting her weight so she was half-standing, and turned the key in the lock. He shoved the door open, growling lightly when it stuck from the humidity, and picked up Misao again to carry her in. He ignored her squeak of protest and took her to the soft couch in front of the TV, tossing her unceremoniously onto it. He dropped a blanket on top of her, making sure her head was covered (just to piss her off, of course).

He casually strolled back out of the room, ignoring her muffled cries.

"Hey! Where're you going?"

"To get your bags, weasel. Or would you prefer I leave them in the car?"

Her silence was plenty answer. Saito smiled to himself. "I thought so." He observed her with amusement as she threw off the wool and glared at him with as much anger as she could muster.

He chuckled again. "Don't be like that. Didn't I save you from thugs, carry your bags, and even carry _you_?"

Misao's irritation was palpable. She pointed a finger accusingly at him and narrowed her eyes. "One, I could've taken care of myself! Two, you complained the whole time, and three…three…" The finger dipped and trembled, as if searching for the last point. "Three…you're a bastard!"

Saito ducked the pillow she threw at him and made his way back to the car, laughing quietly the whole way.

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The girl waited for him to leave the room before snuggling into the blanket. She hated for him to see any kind of gratitude, and actually using something he gave her would probably count as "gratitude". She frowned and pulled the blanket closer around her.

_Man, am I cold! That rain just soaked me to the skin…and that bastard freaking me out like that, with that…well, that didn't help any!_

Desperate to distract herself, Misao grabbed the remote and clicked on the TV. "Just daytime TV…" she muttered, flipping channels. Soap opera after soap opera met her eyes, each cornier than the last.

"_I'm really…your wife's sister's mother-in-law!_" a woman on the TV sobbed. Disgusted, Misao threw the remote at the power button with all her might, by some fluke actually turning it off. She sighed and leaned back on the couch, pulling off her shoes and dropping them to the floor. Cuddling into the blanket, she lay on her side and closed her eyes.

_I'm not going to sleep. Just…rest a bit._

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When Saito reentered the room, he bit back a chuckle. The little weasel was spread out on the couch, clothes disheveled, mouth wide open and snoring loudly enough to wake the dead. He set down the bags carefully by the couch and went over to the sleeping girl. Cautiously, lest she attack him even in her sleep, he picked her up and winced when she latched onto his collar. Unwilling to carry her all the way to her bedroom, he set her down in a chair and started looking around the sofa for some sort of spring, hoping it had a pullout bed.

He was in luck. Sighing in relief, he pulled off the top cushions and tossed them behind the couch, pulling out the mattress from within. Not caring that it had no sheets on it, he picked up Misao again and moved her back onto the now-bed-like sofa. After placing her there, he moved to leave the room and was jerked back by a tight grip on his hair.

Somehow the little brat had gotten a fistful of his hair.

Nearly growling in irritation, he had no choice but to settle down next to her. It only got more uncomfortable when she cuddled up to him and rubbed her nose on his chest.

There were very few things that could get Saito Hajime to blush.

That was one of them.

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Aoshi was not particularly happy. He knew Misao must be hurting, yet it could not be helped. He stared at her front door a moment longer, soaking bangs plastered to his face, before sighing and turning away. His black trench coat dripped rain as he started down the sidewalk in the direction of the police station.

He had business that could not be delayed, and paying a visit to Misao counted as a "delay". However much of a relief it might be.

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Lexi: Well, there you have it. Only about six months late. HEH! Sorry, Jazzy and I have been WAAAAAAY busy with homework and I do plays and STUFF. But now you have the chapter! Hooray!

Jazzy: Thank you so much, Lexi-chan! Dude, guys, I'm horrible. (SWEAT DROP) Well, err, here's hoping that the next chappie is, eh-heh, a little faster in coming, eh? I'm also going to take the time to fix up all of my old chapters, as my writing has significantly improved since I wrote them. (SWEAT)

Until next time, my hopefully still faithful reviewers, this is Jazzy Reinier with guest Lexi Teniro (go read her ficcies, she rocks!), signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them."


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